What if Mr. Rogers had a midlife crisis?
That, essentially, is the basis for “Kidding,” Showtime’s new dramedy (Sunday, 10 EDT/PDT, ★★½ out of four) and Jim Carrey’s first regular television role in more than a decade.
At first, “Kidding” feels like a far-too-slow and misguided show, at once too strange and too familiar, yet another story of a sad, middle-aged white man coming to terms with his own reality. It’s often too somber as comedy and too shallow to be drama. But there are moments when the series starts maximizing its full, talented cast and turns the odd into the oddly fascinating, and they remind you why Carrey is a star.
Carrey plays Jeff Pickles, the host of a children’s public television show who is scarred by the sudden death of his young son, Phil, in a car accident.
More: Jim Carrey is ‘Kidding’ as sunny but suffering children’s host in new Showtime series
Jeff is nearly indistinguishable from the character he plays on TV. He encourages the people not to use bad words. He’s naive about the workings of the real world. He’s wealthy but chooses to live in an unkempt apartment near a college campus while separated from his wife, Jill (Judy Greer).
But his soft-spoken demeanor barely conceals a mania that leads him to destructive behaviors as he mourns Phil. Instead of singing rhyming, educational tunes for the little ones, Mr. Pickles is off shaving his head, stalking Jill, trying desperately to bond with his living son, and Phil’s twin, Will (Cole Allen) and generally falling to pieces.
When Jeff tries to address his grief on air, it horrifies his father and producer, Seb (Frank Langella), for whom the show – a mashup of “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” and “Sesame Street” – is a well-oiled merchandising machine. Seb’s concern for his son’s well-being is mostly self-serving: He tries to keep Jeff together mostly to keep the show from falling apart.
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