Kidding is bringing Jim Carrey back to the small screen in a role that was made for him.
“Welcome to the world of exciting internal conflict.” Kidding is sending you head first into the lives of Jeff, aka Mr. Pickles, his family, and his colleagues, in what is a beautifully realistic, unapologetic look at grief, childhood, parenting, and marriage.
Kidding is a half hour “comedy,” but it’ll probably make you think more than it’ll make you laugh. The series features Carrey as Jeff, who’s renowned for hosting a children’s TV show as Mr. Pickles (think Mister Rogers). After the death of his son and the subsequent deterioration of his marriage and family, he’s struggling to reconcile his two personas and put his life back together.
The show officially premieres on Showtime on Sunday, September 9, but they’ve released it to stream early! Here’s why you should seriously be checking out Kidding.
1. ‘Kidding’ is Jim Carrey at his best
Jim Carrey is one of the most interesting performers in the business. He can be unbelievably goofy, but there’s also a depth to him that lends itself beautifully to darker comedies.
Kidding allows him to show off the full range of his talents. He gets to be supremely silly as Mr. Pickles, but the gravity of Jeff’s circumstances gives a great depth to his character.
Jim Carrey has an amazing way of perfectly portraying a character on his worst day in a way that is far more interesting than gloomy. He can make you feel bad for someone without making you feel…well, bad. There’s an optimism and a wisdom behind his performance of Jeff that makes it extremely enjoyable and intriguing to watch. If you’re a fan of Carrey, you’ll definitely want to see him take on this role.
2. The team behind ‘Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind’ is reunited
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is one of the most grotesquely underrated movies of our generation. On top of the insanely impressive cast, which features Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet, Mark Ruffalo, Kirsten Dunst, and Elijah Wood, among others, the film is the perfect dark comedy. Flawlessly blending humor with romance, sadness, and a fascinating commentary on human relationships.
Kidding will reunite Carrey with Eternal Sunshine director, Michael Gondry, for what is sure to be an unforgettable journey. From watching the first episode of the series, we can tell you that the tone is definitely reminiscent of Eternal Sunshine in a great way.
3. Will
All of the characters in Kidding are great, but we dare you to not fall in love with Will, Jeff’s son. His morbid and sarcastic humor will make you laugh harder than anything else in the show. It’s also evident that he’s a very smart kid, so we can’t wait to see what he gets up to this season, especially as he plays off his father, whose sunny disposition seems to be in stark contrast to Will’s own demeanor.
4. ‘Kidding’ perfectly captures the complications of being a kid…
Never have I been transported so fully back to the very real fear of not stepping on a crack lest I break my mother’s back than when I watched Kidding. The show seems to have a complete understanding of what it is to observe life through the eyes of a child, and somehow manages to show its audience exactly how that feels.
Kidding explores childhood through Will Pickles, his friends, and also through Maddy, the child of Jeff’s colleagues turned roommates, so there will definitely be one character who at least echoes some of your childhood experience!
5. …and the horrors of being a parent
Full disclosure, I am not a parent, but after watching the first episode of Kidding, I feel like I have a deeper understanding of what my parents must’ve went through while they were raising me and my siblings. Seriously, what do you do when your child legitimately will not eat their vegetables?
It’s the beautiful and simplistic realism of Kidding that paints the picture of parenthood with such accuracy and finesse, and it’s one of the parts of the series I’m most excited to see more of.
Before you jump into the series, check out the trailer to see more!
