Jim Carrey will be starring in his first series regular role in more than two decades.
The actor is set to reunite with Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind director Michel Gondry on Kidding, a half-hour Showtime comedy series that has been picked up for a 10-episode first season order.
Kidding will have Carrey playing Jeff, aka Mr. Pickles, a children’s television icon, an anchor to a multimillion dollar branding empire, and a man who has long been a beacon of kindness and wisdom to audiences. But his life’s about to take a turn. As his family begins to implode, Jeff finds himself in a worsening crisis that seems to be advancing faster than his means to cope.
Creator Dave Holstein (Weeds, Raising Hope) penned the pilot episode and will be the showrunner. Gondry, whose credits also include The Science of Sleep, Be Kind Rewind, The Green Hornet and Mood Indigo, will be directing all ten episodes and is on board as executive producer. Carrey is also attached as exec producer, working alongside Jason Bateman (Arrested Development), Jim Garavente (Bad Words), Raffi Adlan (The Green Hornet) and Michael Aguilar (I’m Dying Up Here).
“No one inhabits a character like Jim Carrey, and this role – which is like watching Humpty Dumpty after the fall – is going to leave television audiences wondering how they went so long without him,” David Nevins, President and CEO, Showtime, said in a statement. “With his Eternal Sunshine partner Michel Gondry on board to direct, we are on our way to a magnetic, volcanic and emotional viewing experience.”
Australian streaming company Stan announced that Kidding will be premiering on the streaming service in 2018 as part of its exclusive content deal with Showtime. The Stan-Showtime line-up currently includes shows such as Billions and I’m Dying Up Here.
