Courtesy Photo
By Jessica Foreman
Reporter
One thing is for certain: Every student during his or her college career wonders what comes after the “party” of college, if adulthood is really the definitive “hangover,” and what measures will be required to stay sane in the workplace. Those at least seem to be the final graduation thoughts of three fresh-out-of-college roommates now working together at a telemarketing firm in Comedy Central’s television show “Workaholics.”
Blake Anderson, Anders Holms and Adam DeVine star in a television comedy that features sock puppets, Half-Christmas holidays, stolen dragons, Insane Clown Posse concerts and basically everything contrary to its title, “Workaholics.”
“It’s about the mind state of just out of college,” Kyle Newacheck, co-creator and director of “Workaholics,” said in a conference call.
He elaborated that adulthood has not taken a firm grasp yet, and so a transitional job into a career is not a crucial point to be taken too seriously.
“What about it’s ‘Office Space’ meets ‘The Office’?” Anderson said. He went on to explain that the cast is “heavy on the stapler-use” behind the scenes.
About as random as Anderson’s stapler comment is the content of any particular episode of “Workaholics,” which contains a mix so morally shameful and absurd, it becomes downright hilarious.
Who goes on strike because their boss won’t allow observation of “Half-Christmas,” or shares deep feelings through sock puppet animation, or will pose as a high school student to steal a dragon statue? Interestingly enough, the seemingly impromptu dialogue is actually more scripted than one would think.
“We draw a lot of the stuff from real life. Of course, you’ve got to kind of juice them up for TV a little bit; I think that’s what makes the characters seem real,” said Anderson, who is described as “the guy at the party who makes a massive cheese and cracker sandwich called the Eliminator” on the “Workaholics” website.
“I would say 79.6 percent scripted, the rest of the math, improv,” Anderson said.
“There’s a pretty detailed script, but then we like to get loose,” Holms said. “Kyle lets us go off the leash a little bit.”
The chemistry between the characters on the show stems from the friendships developed among the three stars and the director behind the scenes.
Anderson and Newacheck confessed to being “best buddies” since drawing comic books in the third grade, and the duo met the other two actors, Holms and DeVine, while attending improv classes in Los Angeles.
“Then we began kicking it on the regular, making Internet videos and totally falling in love with each other,” Anderson said, chuckling.
Making Internet videos is what jumpstarted the trio’s acting career after a Comedy Central executive saw a series of videos from the group on YouTube.
Comedy has always been deep-rooted in the actors’ makeup and they frequently look to “Tim and Eric Awesome Show” and “Jackass” for inspiration, but more so for a good laugh.
The second season of “Workaholics” will bring special guests and more mayhem, and one special fan will be a part of the “Workaholics” script. Comedy Central held a “Shout Me Out” contest via Facebook this summer. One winner out of the people who “liked” the show’s Facebook page will have a name mention in one of the second season’s episodes.
Comedy Central hasn’t released any details in terms of context, but the stunt was aimed to generate publicity during the show’s off-air months.
“That was part of driving the franchise digitally during the hiatus,” Walter Levitt, Comedy Central’s executive vice president of marketing, told Media Daily News.
“Workaholics” airs on Comedy Central at a new time, 10:30 p.m. on Tuesdays, right after “Tosh.0.”
“College is awesome, enjoy it,” Newacheck said. “They’re the best years, and get as crazy as you can.”
