Directed by Michel Gondry, who also directed Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind which Carrey starred in, Kidding focuses on a beloved children’s entertainer whose personal life implodes.
In his first series regular role in over two decades, Jim Carrey stars as Jeff, aka Mr. Pickles, an icon of children’s television and a beacon of kindness and wisdom to America’s impressionable young minds and the parents who grew up with him. But when this beloved personality’s family begins to implode, Jeff finds no fairy tale, fable or puppet will guide him through the crisis, which advances faster than his means to cope. The result: a kind man in a cruel world faces a slow leak of sanity as hilarious as it is heartbreaking.
At the Television Critics Association in August, Carrey told the audience that Kidding isn’t that far from The Truman Show as the central character – Jeff, aka Mr Pickles – struggles with his identity and puts on a facade.
“The idea of identity, the search for identity of who you are; what’s an authentic person has always been attractive to me…The idea of being hit by a freight train in life and hanging on to the idea of yourself, that’s really attractive.”
Carrey thinks the truth of the comedy series will resonate with the audience. “The only hope of cutting through the clutter these days; you have to go bigger than everyone else or you’re lopping ten heads off per episode or you hit a nerve and touch people in a place that’s real. Because nothing gets to the back row like the truth. If the truth is in there, people will be interested. They want to see themselves, they want to see their own truth.”
Michel Gondry serves as an executive producer and is also directing several episodes. The pilot for the series was written by creator, executive producer, and showrunner Dave Holstein (WEEDS, Raising Hope). Kidding is also executive produced by Carrey, Michael Aguilar (I’m Dying Up Here), Roberto Benabib (WEEDS), Raffi Adlan (The Green Hornet), Jason Bateman (Arrested Development) and Jim Garavente (Bad Words).
The series stars Jim Carrey, Frank Lengella (Frost/Nixon), Catherine Keener (Get Out), and Judy Greer (Married).
Kidding premieres September 9th on Showtime.
