Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
After showing off some naked audience members at the top of I Love You, America’s debut episode, host Sarah Silverman assured Hulu subscribers that the show wouldn’t be all edgy comedy and thought-provoking conversations. Every now and then, she promised, the show would give viewers what they expect to see when they watch a late night comedy show: a white guy at a desk. That white guy… is Mather Zickel.
When things get too intense, the show makes use of Mather’s young Clooney-esque good looks and Carson-esque charm. He can tap cards on a desk with the best of ’em! There’s a reason Silverman chose Mather to be her quasi-sidekick. Okay, it’s probably because Zickel has comedy chops honed by working with State alum on shows like Reno 911! and Wainy Days, but the fact that Zickel has an extensive IMDb page makes him the perfect guy to go to if you want to convey “familiarity.” Odds are you’ve seen Zickel before, many, many times!
Did you see Oscar-nominated feature film Rachel Getting Married? Then you saw Mather as best man Kieran. Obsessed with Adult Swim programming? Then you know Mather from Delocated (where he played Rob), or Childrens Hospital and its spinoff Newsreaders (where he played Louis La Fonda). What about network sitcoms? He was a regular on the short-lived ABC show Man Up! and did an episode of CBS’ Mike & Molly. What about network dramas? Four episodes of Bones and one of Elementary. Cable dramas? ESPN’s The Bronx is Burning and Showtime’s House of Lies and Masters of Sex. Oh, cable comedies (non-Adult Swim division)? Party Down, Better Things, and Younger. If you’ve seen him on five of these things, then congrats, you just won Zickel Bingo!
After 15+ years of popping up in show after show, Mather Zickel actually is the perfect choice for a comforting, classically handsome white guy to stick behind a desk. Of course he’s not always gonna be behind the desk. Sometimes, as we saw at the end of the debut episode, he’ll be cuddling up with Silverman in bed at her request, spooning her as she falls asleep to the comforting sounds of Law & Order.
Where else will Mather travel in the I Love You, America set? Will he venture to… in front of the desk? Or… the couch? Watch new episodes of I Love You, America every Thursday night on Hulu to find out.
