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Q&A Interview with David Crane & Jeffrey Klarik, Executive Producers of EPISODES

Maj Canton - June 29, 2012

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This Sunday, the hilarious EPISODES returns to Showtime for its second season with Golden Globe Award winner Matt LeBlanc. At the end of last season, Matt slept with Beverly, and Sean quickly sniffed out their rendezvous after catching a whiff of Matt's cinnamon-scented, Joey-branded cologne. Plus, the trio finished shooting the PUCKS! pilot, and, despite their own feelings, the network executives picked up the show after test audiences rated it off the charts. Now, with their relationships in peril, how will Beverly, Sean and Matt come together to transform PUCKS! into a successful series? Tune in ths season to see which former FRIENDS co-star Matt convinced to appear as a guest star on PUCKS!

 

For some inside scoop on the new season, check out this interview with Executive Producers, Creators, & Writers David Crane and Jeffrey Klarik, courtesy of the Showtime publicity department.

 

 

Sunday, July 1st, at 10:30pm ET, Showtime premieres the second season of EPISODES, with new episodes airing at the same time every Sunday through the end of August. If you can't wait until Sunday, Showtime will let you watch the entire episode online -- right now. Don't miss an episode of EPISODES, especially since Season 2 is even stronger than its super first season.


Question: What can fans of Season 1 expect this season?


David Crane: Last year we had to spend a lot of time getting everyone into place, introducing the characters, getting Sean and Beverly to LA, meeting Matt. This year we get to hit the ground running. We already know all the players and the battle lines have been drawn.


Jeffrey Klarik: If the first season was about slowly destroying Sean and Beverly's TV show and also their marriage, this one is about trying to recover from the damage that's been done. Is there any hope for Sean and Beverly's relationship? Will Sean ever forgive her? Will he murder Matt? Is there any hope for PUCKS!? In some cases, it looks like there might be a chance. In others, things go from bad to worse. Much worse.


Question: Last season's bromance between Matt and Sean seemed to be the thrust of their dynamic, how will that play out this season after their rift at the end of last season?


Jeffrey Klarik: When your best friend sleeps with your wife, that's virtually impossible to come back from. But on the other hand, Matt has a crazy charisma that's hard to resist. And he misses his friend. His probably-futile attempt to make things right with Sean is one of the major storylines of the season.


Question: What can we expect from the other characters like Merc, Carol and Morning? Are there any new characters this season?


David Crane: We go much deeper into Carol and Merc's unfortunate relationship. And we get to know his blind wife Jamie a lot better.


Jeffrey Klarik: Morning continues to defy her age – this time with somewhat disastrous results.

 

David Crane: We introduce a number of new characters this season, including Matt's long-time stalker Labia. Yes, her name is Labia.


Question: Last year you filmed entirely in the UK, what factored into the decision to shoot in LA for a short period? Has it made a difference?


David Crane: Winter. Last time we shot in the spring, so were able to shoot outside in England. Even though it didn't start out looking like Hollywood, at least there was sunlight. This time we started shooting in November, so our only option was to actually go to LA for a week of exteriors.


Jeffrey Klarik: The good news is that we didn't have to rely on green screen and special visual effects at all. The palm trees were really there!



Question: Season 1 focused on the experiences of developing a TV show in the US. Season 2 is more about the ratings pressure– what are your personal experiences of that nature?


Jeffrey Klarik: When you're doing a network show in the States, you're just a slave to the ratings. There's so much money invested that there's this pervasive atmosphere of fear and anxiety. Every morning after an episode of your show airs, everyone is fixated on the numbers to try and determine how the show did.


David Crane: In the UK, you've already shot the whole season before it airs. In the States, you're still making the show as it's airing. So if the ratings start to dip, there's usually a panicky call from the network telling you how to change your show in the hopes that it'll make the numbers go back up. Not the most creative process.


Question: How important was the awards nominations to you and to the show in general?


David Crane: The awards were incredibly gratifying. We were thrilled that Matt got the Golden Globe for Best Lead Actor in Comedy Series. It's so deserved.


Jeffrey Klarik: That we were even nominated for Best Comedy Series was amazing. Our first year out of the gate??

 

David Crane: Also, we only did seven episodes the first season. In the States, that's nothing. So the fact that we were even included in a group with long-running hit shows that do 22 episodes a year was beyond anything we could have even hoped for.


Question: Do you draw material for the show from any of your own personal experiences in Hollywood or those of your industry peers?


David Crane: It's pretty much all drawn from our lives. We have very little imagination.

 

Question: Did you have any concerns about how Hollywood would react to series satirizing your own industry?


David Crane: We did when we started. Let's face it, it's not the most flattering portrait of the Industry. But when the show finally aired, everyone we knew was amazingly supportive.


Jeffrey Klarik:We heard from network executives we hadn't heard from in years, telling us how much they loved the show. And the best part is, everyone we spoke with thought the characters were based on someone else. They were all, like, “You totally nailed him!” We never disagreed.


Question: Were you cautious about how far you could push Matt's character?


David Crane: Every time we sent a script to Matt, we kept bracing ourselves for the phone call where he'd tell us we'd gone too far. But to Matt's credit, he never once asked us to pull back.


Jeffrey Klarik: He's aware that the Matt LeBlanc on the show is a fictional character. His feeling is that if it's funny and it feels true, let's do it. We're so lucky to have him.


Question: What are your observations of the UK TV industry and how does it differ from US?


David Crane: Mostly money. Not that it doesn't cost a lot to make a show here, but the budgets are so much bigger in Hollywood.

 

Question: How do you write a comedy series that appeals to both American and British sense of humor?


Jeffrey Klarik: You don't. We write a show that makes each other laugh. Hopefully other people will be laughing with us. Hopefully.