Premiering tonight on FX is the new comedy series The Comedians. The show stars Billy Crystal and Josh Gad and revolves around the two of them crafting an FX sketch series called The Billy & Josh Show where they play versions of themselves. While the conceit of a behind-the-scenes look at the making of a TV show has been done countless times before, what’s great about The Comedians is Crystal and Gad are willing to poke fun at themselves in a big way. Also, it’s pretty crazy to watch a show on FX about a show that might air on FX, and members of the real crew show up on the show within the show. For more read Chris' review.
The other day I sat down with Josh Gad for an exclusive video interview. He talked about how the series came together, his hesitation over making another TV show, the great group of behind-the-scenes people working on the series (Larry Charles, Matt Nix, and Ben Wexler), some of the awesome guest stars like Mel Brooks and Frozen songwriters Bobby and Kristen Anderson-Lopez, the show's meta nature, and a lot more.
Josh Gad:
- How cats are smarter than humans.
- 1:20 – The show doesn’t pull punches, and Gad plays himself in not the most flattering light.
- 2:20 – The series gets better in each episode and pokes fun at the generational disconnect between Gad and Crystal.
- 3:00 – Reveals how the show came together and talks about the big names behind-the-scenes.
- 4:20 – Is he sad the show can’t cross over with Justified since it ended?
- 4:35 – Was there any dialogue he was unwilling to say because it made him too uncomfortable?
- 5:35 – Guest star talk. The series makes fun of shows that have guest stars but they do it in a clever way that works in guest stars.
- 6:30 – The series is very meta.
- 7:00 – How does the season end?
