Carpoolers, a new comedy series about four men trading life stories while traveling to and from work, is the brainchild of actor-director Bruce McCulloch. Known for penning surreal sketches, McCulloch said he was inspired to create the show while on a “man trip” with a friend.
"We were coming home and were in traffic," he told TV Squad, "and I had the image of an emotional breakdown in the carpool lane. That was sort of the start of it, and it sort of came fast. Within two weeks I was pitching it."
“It” grew into
Carpoolers, a show which McCulloch believes depicts men outside of the “alpha male” and “macho man” stereotypes.
"I think guys kind of do try to process their lives. I don't think guys necessarily just want to open a can of beer and not talk about their day," he said. "So I think I really did want to explore a landscape of guys who have emotional mistresses or think about that or wonder if their wives are happy or are kind of more... you know, had more flaws at the core or are kind of more feminine in the fact that they're worrying about things."
On the other hand, McCulloch acknowledges the difference in the way men and women interact with their friends.
"I don't say to my friend, 'Well, tell me everything!' You know, I go, 'So how's your marriage going... That Coldplay record sure is good...' We don't actually communicate like women,” he told TV Squad. “And I think that's why [while] carpooling… [where] you spend time with strangers, who of course become friends... you let stuff out that you wouldn't normally let out, or people read it on your face."
Carpoolers boasts of an eclectic cast, which includes
Jerry O'Connell, (
Crossing Jordan),
Fred Goss (
Sons & Daughters),
Faith Ford (
Hope & Faith),
Allison Munn (
What I Like About You),
Tim Peper (
Guiding Light),
Jerry Minor (
Saturday Night Live) and
TJ Miller.
McCulloch said he and the producers chased after Goss in a big way, as they were all fans of
Sons & Daughters.
"I was interested in his brain and the way his brain works. He improvises and he makes things real, yet he walks around them in his own way,” McCulloch said of Goss, adding he sees the 46-year-old actor as his “partner” given Goss has also tried his hand in directing.
As for O'Connell, McCulloch said the actor is “trembling with happiness” to be finally doing a sitcom, considering most of his previous television gigs have been dramas.
"He really is in heaven,” McCulloch said of O'Connell. “I always thought he was funny, and I didn't know how funny he was and how charming he was… He's so funny and so game, and I think he's really happy that someone saw him in a light that wasn't 'the boyfriend,' or 'the cop that does the right thing.'"
-Lisa Claustro, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: TV Squad
(Image Courtesy of Entertainment Weekly)