Charlie. Carlton the doorman. Robin Masters. Wilson Wilson.
All revered unseen characters in the pantheon of popular entertainment, hidden by telephones, intercoms, and pieces of white picket fence. Go ahead and put Kevin Pollak up there, too.
The comedian’s comedian – with an uncanny knack for impersonations (William Shatner, Christopher Walken, Alan Arkin, Peter Falk) who won my affection as a Usual Suspect – stars in Crackle’s The Writers Room solely by way of speaker phone.
In the fictional series that’s almost-but-not-quite believable, Pollak stars in his own late night talk show, Super Late, but we never get to see it. Instead, the majority of the action in the 10-episodes is focused around a large table, littered with neuroses, awkward inter-personal relationships, and sycophantic writers all looking for some signs of praise and affection, desperately aiming to please the voice of Kevin emitting from its center.
It’s an office space comedy that’s shot almost entirely in one office, or, as creators Mark Feldstein and Brad Roth of Stun Creative call it,“a workplace comedy without the work.”
They tell me the result is pretty spot on. “Some of the highest compliments we’ve gotten were actually by some very well known show runners from some very well known shows that say they can relate all too well.” I believe it.
Though slightly exaggerated for comedic effect (more than The Office, less than Christopher Guest flicks), the awkward power dynamics (the network executive & writers; veteran writers & new kids on the block; Pollak & everyone) play out in a plausible, funnier-cause-they’re-true kind of comedy.
Check out what goes onisde The Writers Room at Crackle.com.
MrBeast continues to show us that he's in a league of his own as far as…
Issa Rae's new company wants to hook up creators and brands for "deeper relationships" beyond…
MrBeast is reportedly ending his exclusive relationship with management company Night. Two people familiar with…
Peloton is dismissing a chunk of its workforce, including its top executive. Barry McCarthy announced that he is…
Meta is looking to improve creator and brand experiences on its platform by investing in AI. The…
Bob Does Sports, the self-dubbed home of "brilliantly dumb sporting adventures" hosted by Robby Berger,…