Paul Reiser On ‘There’s Johnny!’, His New Johnny Carson-Themed Comedy Coming to Seeso

Not too long ago, I declared that we are indeed living in a Reiserssance. Paul Reiser’s work on Amazon’s Red Oaks really solidified this exciting time in pop culture, and yet, I didn’t know how right I was.

Because last week it was announced that Reiser, with partner David Steven Simon, are the minds behind There’s Johnny!, a new comedy series coming to Seeso in 2017. The eight-episode scripted series takes place in 1972 behind the scenes at The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. Intrigued yet? Because we certainly are! So when I caught up with Reiser and his Red Oaks co-star Jennifer Grey at the press day for the second season of the Amazon original series, he happily supplied us with even more details about the project — much to Grey’s delight!

“It’s about a young guy who works at Johnny Carson backstage,” Reiser explained, comparing it to “Almost Famous meets My Favorite Year meets The Wonder Years.” The obvious comparison has been to The Larry Sanders Show, but Reiser clarified that “It’s not as showbiz-y at all. It’s a 19-year-old kid from Nebraska who stumbles his way into the show. He wanted a picture of Johnny Carson for his father and he somehow misinterpreted his response, thinking that he had a job. So he goes to California, but he’s such a sweet kid they keep him around, and before you know it, he’s their pet.”

“There’s a 25-year-old talent coordinator, and she takes him under her wing. The kid’s from Nebraska and Johnny hears that, so no matter how much he screws up, it’s ok because apparently Johnny likes him.”

“It’s really very cool because we’re doing it in conjunction with the Carson Estate, so we have all the clips. Writing (the show) and watching these old clips, it’s such a fun journey back. Watching Johnny Carson was so masterful. You watch it and you’re like, ‘Oh, he was only 43,’ and, ‘Oh, I’m so much older than he was then, and look how good he was. ‘ It’s also a very different period in television. You didn’t have that many choices and Johnny was IT, certainly at that point in ’72.”

While the series will live on a streaming platform, it’s important to remember the show is taking place many years before streaming and DVR, and perhaps most importantly, watching late night clips on YouTube and Facebook, like we do so frequently today. “You couldn’t tape it so you had to stay up or you fell asleep to Johnny. He used to joke that he was in your bed and he was in your life,” Reiser continued. “He filtered the world. It was Vietnam and Watergate and he made it palatable, where you’d go, ‘Ok, I can wake up again tomorrow.’ Now, we have guys who do that wonderfully and who filter, but not as singularly as Johnny.”

So how much of Johnny will we get to see from this new Seeso project, exactly? “We see a lot of clips from the show, but they are used very sparingly. We don’t cast Johnny, so we just see him in long shots.”

And while the show is about Carson, it’s also sort of not about Carson. “It’s a coming-of-age. It’s about a kid who’s never left the farm, literally. Now it’s sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll in the middle of show business and he’s introduced to it all. So it’s a beautiful piece, and it’s really fun project.”

Um yeah, sounds like it! So when can we see this thing already? “We’re literally just starting. We haven’t cast anybody, but the scripts are done, and David Gordon Green is going to direct,” said Reiser.

“Stop it! I’m left out of everything!” Grey exclaimed after hearing their Red Oaks executive producer and director was involved in the project. “I’m rapt. This is the best idea for a show, I’m so excited,” Grey chimed in. “I’d do anything for David Gordon Green but that’s the best story in the world, I love that.”

“Actually! I just thought of a good role for you,” Reiser realized. We’ll stay tuned to see if the pair, who sadly share no screen time together on Red Oaks, re-team for There’s Johnny!. But one thing they’re already working on together: not looking at their Twitter mentions.

“So they announce it the other day, and do you Tweet? Do you foolishly look at your responses? It’s a mistake, never do it,” Reiser told Grey, who seemed to learn that lesson a long time ago.

“I actually had this idea 12 years ago, so we have been working on it for years. We couldn’t get the rights, but it’s finally happening. The minute they announced it, I said ‘Hey it’s official! Were doing this thing’, because I had been hinting about it. And the first responses were all, ‘Great, sounds like Larry Sanders, what the hell is he thinking, we already had that show’. Someone else goes ‘Great, another white middle-aged host’. I realized you can’t explain things fast enough. Just watch the show, enjoy it, and now I know.”

Hey, haters! Just wait until the show hits Seeso next year — we’d be willing to bet you’re going to be into it. Stay tuned to Decider for more info on There’s Johnny! and season 2 of Red Oaks. If you haven’t already, be sure to check out Paul Reiser and Jennifer Grey in Red Oaks season 1, available now on Prime Video, with season 2 available to stream on November 11th.

[Watch Red Oaks on Prime Video]