KIDDING SEASON ONE: WHAT IF MR. ROGERS HAD MENTAL ISSUES?

Most people are completely aware of children’s show host Mr. Rogers and the effect he had on their children. He was harmless and took the time to talk to them on their level, using puppets on his show and inserting subtle messages that helped promote things like breaking down the race barrier. Never in a bad or insulting way but just enough to make things comfortable. But what would the world have been like if Mr. Rogers had a mental breakdown and began changing things without his producer’s approval?

That’s the basis for the Showtime series KIDDING. Taking place in Columbus, Ohio, the story focuses around Jeff Piccirillo (Jim Carrey) who stars as Mr. Pickles, the beloved PBS star of MR. PICKLES PUPPET TIME for over 30 years. But Jeff is going through the most traumatic year of his life. The death of one of his sons still troubles him and that passing and his handling of it resulted in his wife leaving him. Trying to cope with the changes in his life is much of what the series is about.

But it’s not all drama as the show features some truly dark comedy as well. To be closer to his remaining son Jeff moves into the house next door to his ex-wife Jill (Judy Greer). This leads to some uncomfortable moments as she’s dating someone now and Jeff watches through the window of his home into hers.

Jeff also has to deal with his father and the producer of his show Sebastian (Frank Langella). Sebastian is concerned for his son’s well-being but at the same time seems more concerned with the future of the show. The two have problems as the series progresses when Jeff begins to want to insert darker tones into the shows he does, for example talking to children about death. Perhaps there might be a good way for children’s shows to handle this but the odds of this one being it are slim.

Another member of the show’s staff is Deirdre "Didi" Perera (Catherine Keener), Jeff’s sister and the head puppet maker for the show. She acts as a buffer between father and son but has problems of her own. Like her daughter witnessing her husband being masturbated by the next door neighbor, a man, in their driveway. Nope, not your normal comedy but certainly a “high” point for Showtime, right?

As the show progresses Jeff begins to act stranger and more disturbed. At one point he shaves his head. All of this is his way of forcing the issues he’s concerned about. And yet no one considers sending him away for a while to be taken care of. It would tarnish his image and devour his brand. That, as well as the Jeff’s dealing with his own personal issues, makes up a lot of what the show is about.

The question is though is the show funny and worth your time? I was hard pressed to answer that question while watching and then thinking about the series. There were moments that were truly brilliant, moments that were sad and touching. But then there were moments that were distinctly inserted just to shock or make certain that viewers were aware this was a cable and not network series. I’ve always had a problem with that, noting that in most dramas found on networks like Showtime one could set their watch by the amount of time it took for someone to disrobe. Usually it’s at the 8 minute mark.

The story it tells is a sad one and the character of Jeff is particularly poignant. You can’t help but feel for him and Carrey, much to my amazement, actually does a good job as Jeff. He reels himself in rather than go for the standard Carrey performance of acting wild and crazy. But Jeff also never seems to move forward and you then sympathize with his wife more than him.

In the end the series is interesting and does have some nice performances in it. Some characters are sympathetic and others you want to slap in the face. Through it all it becomes a bit depressing at times relieved by quick moments of humor. If you have an issue with depression perhaps this is not the series for you. Otherwise you might enjoy it but I can’t bring myself to say it’s great. It’s the type of show you can enjoy but if you heard it was being canceled tomorrow you wouldn’t miss it. 

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