Bob Odenkirk and David Cross, the genius hosts (yes, genius!) of Mr. Show have teamed up again for an upcoming HBO comedy pilot, David's Situation where Cross plays a washed up comic who leaves Hollywood to live in the burbs and write for an in-flight airline magazine. Vanity Fair has an interview with the duo:
VF Daily: David’s Situation sounds very different from Mr. Show. Are you worried about not living up to the expectations of your longtime fans?
David Cross: Not really. I hope people aren’t expecting Mr. Show 2.0, because they’re going to be disappointed.
Bob Odenkirk: I’m not intimidated by people’s expectations of us anymore. I probably should be, but it just doesn’t matter to me as much as it used to. I feel like this show is really solid, and it’s already a lot stronger than Mr. Show was in its first season. It took us about three seasons to really capture the rhythm and comedy tone of Mr. Show, but David’s Situation already has a strong comedic voice just with the pilot episode.
No chance you’ll get bored writing for the same character again and again and again?
BO: No, not at all. Because that character is based on David. I like to compare it to The Jack Benny Program or The Burns and Allen Show, or any of those classic TV shows where the lead was pretty much playing himself. It’s not realistic—it’s still a comic character—but David is doing a version of himself. He’s David Cross, standup comic, but it’s a fictionalized, heightened version of himself.
Just how much of this show is based on reality?
DC: The first episode is entirely made up. But I’m sure that as we continue to do this, it’ll begin to reflect our experiences. There’ll be episodes devoted to those adorable, cherubic, anecdotal experiences we’ve had in Hollywood. And we both love Hollywood.
Check out BO and DC's TV chemistry in action in this full episode of another absurd series: Arrested Development.