The stars of Hulu’s new meta sitcom preview their characters' motivations for reviving their old show.
The past decade has been a nonstop cycle of TV revamps and reboots.
The latter was particularly thought-provoking forModern Familycreator Steven Levitan.
Reed Sterling (Keegan-Michael Key) and Clay Barber (Johnny Knoxville) on Hulu’s ‘Reboot.'.Michael Desmond/Hulu
“When he mentioned it, I thought, ‘God, I haven’t heard anything like this before.
I can’t believe no one has done this yet.’
Then I was like, ‘Quick, quick, let’s leave.
Johnny Knoxville and Calum Worthy on ‘Reboot’.Hulu
Let’s get out of this restaurant and get in a writers’ room.’
That was my first impression of the pitch.
It was a fantastic idea.”
Writing didn’t start quite as fast as Key initially wanted.
But nowRebootexists, and it premieres on Hulu later this month.
The show ended when Reed quit, desperate to prove his true talent as an actor.
“Everyone approaches the business for absolutely different reasons, and everyone’s coming from different angles.
For example, Key’s Reed once wanted to demonstrate he could be more than just a sitcom actor.
Now he wants to make up for getting the original show canceled.
“He feels a sense of responsibility to the rest of the cast,” Key says.
He is thrilled that Hannah is in charge.
Knoxville’s Clay, by contrast, really just needs something to keep him out of trouble.
“He needs the framework, or he’s gonna get in trouble.”
Outside ofStep Right Up, Clay is a comedian known for dirty jokes.
“Clay and Bob, who was a friend, are very different people,” Levitan says.
It felt fresh to me.
He’s a really fantastic guy who works very hard and he’s a joy to be around.
As the captain of theJackassfranchise, Knoxville certainly knows a thing or two about dirty humor.
“In real life, I’m known as a naughty comedian,” Knoxville says with a laugh.
“I think I drew a lot from my own experience.
It’s not too far off.
ThoughJackassis practically a family-friendly thing now!
You’ve got fathers taking their sons and grandfathers taking their grandchildren to see it.”
Rebootpremieres Sept. 20 on Hulu.
