Jim Carrey is a struggling children’s TV host in Kidding trailer

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

After almost three decades actor Jim Carrey is returning to television as the lead in the new show, KIDDING. The Showtime series is executive produced by none other than his ETERNAL SUNSHINE director Michel Gondry (who also directed several episodes) and centers on a Mr. Rogers-esque children’s performer named Jeff, a.k.a Mr. Pickles, who faces an extreme crisis in his personal life. Unlike the children in his audience, Pickles has no one to guide him through these troubles as he slowly breaks down and watches his world crumble. So, no, don’t expect a delightful romp with puppets and colorful sweaters.

In his first series regular role in over two decades, Jim Carrey stars as Jeff, aka Mr. Pickles, an icon of children’s television, a beacon of kindness and wisdom to America’s impressionable young minds, who also anchors a multimillion-dollar branding empire. But when Jeff’s family begins to implode, he finds no fairy tale or fable or puppet will guide him through the crisis, which advances faster than his means to cope. The result: a kind man in a cruel world faces a slow leak of sanity as hilarious as it is heartbreaking.

The show also stars Frank Langella as Seb, the producer of “Mr. Pickles’ Puppet Time”, who fears the million-dollar empire he and Jeff have built is at stake. Then there’s Catherine Keener as Dierdre, the head puppet maker who has her own crises to deal with and; Judy Greer as Jeff’s wife who leaves him. The show is executive produced by Michael Aguilar (I’M DYING UP HERE), Roberto Benabib (WEEDS), Jim Garavente (BAD WORDS), Raffi Adlan (THE GREEN HORNET) and Jason Bateman (ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT, GAME NIGHT).

This trailer threw me for a bit of a loop, mixing dark themes with a sensitive examination of this man's tragic story. Carrey looks amazing and the show will give him the material to deliver a complex and heartbreaking performance. This is what fans want to see from the actor after he's taken some surprising turns in movies like DARK CRIMES, which critics agreed was not the best showcase for his talents. But this looks to utilize the best of his skills, and already it looks like he's giving one of his best performances. I guess this means I have to add Showtime to my subscription list. 

KIDDING premieres on Showtime September 9.