Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
As conspiracy theorist Murray Bauman, an investigative reporter gone off the rails in Stranger Things 2, Brett Gelman’s character doesn’t quite have the full picture of what’s going on in Hawkins, Ind., but he has more than an inkling of what’s happening right in front of him.
And he brings more than a little bit o’ levity with him to the Netflix hit.
Which is Gelman’s wheelhouse.
“I love Brett Gelman and I love what he does in the series,” David Harbour (Police Chief Jim Hopper) says in Netflix’s talk show, Beyond Stranger Things, before making a pitch for Hopper and Bauman to investigate other crimes and oddities. “And I’m very hopeful that there’ll be more Brett Gelman and more Murray Bauman.”
Thing is, he’s done this before, Gelman has. Earlier this year, he also got in Dougie’s face (or was it Agent Cooper again?! don’t @ me) on the new season of Twin Peaks. A couple of years before that, he revealed all of himself to Don Draper in the finale of Mad Men. Just when you think an iconic TV series couldn’t get any stranger or more unexpected, Gelman raises it next level. He’s not only the perfect conspiracy theorist to dig into the Stranger Things universe, but he’s also the perfect supporting actor to bring comic relief or weirdness to any project, no matter how prestige.
Here’s your essential guide to understanding and appreciating Gelmania!
'Twin Peaks: The Return'
When Dougie Jones walks into the Silver Mustang Casino, he suddenly becomes “Mr. Jackpots,” much to the dismay of casino supervisor Burns (Gelman). While most of the other Twin Peaks characters coddle Dougie, Burns gets right up in his face. A lesser actor would crack, so kudos to MacLachlan!
'Mad Men'
When Jon Hamm’s Don Draper goes off the deep end and finds himself ditched at a spiritual retreat in Big Sur, Calif., he gets a whole lot of Gelman (as Daniel the hippie) in his face. What better way to find epiphany than an eye-opening confrontation? As Gelman explained his casting in the climactic finale of AMC’s Mad Men to Vulture: “But I think there is always some sort of collective unconscious where I get cast doing similar things, and people love to see me interject humor into an intense moment. People like to see me lose my shit, and take my clothes off. I didn’t know that at that time that I was that fat.” Once you’ve gone Gelman, though, even someone as stubborn as Don Draper can see himself in a sadder version of himself sitting around the group therapy session.
'Fleabag'
As the only American in the cast of this BBC Three hit that came ashore here via Amazon Prime, Gelman’s Martin is the kind of rapscallion drunk who reflects Fleabag’s behavior back at her.
'Adult Swim'
Not only did Brett Gelman write and star in three surreal dinner parties for Adult Swim from 2014-2016, but he also subsequently cut ties with the Cartoon Network’s late-night brand last year to protest its treatment of women.
Before that, he provided stability as a sidekick to Chris Elliott in a rare role reversal as his deputy on Adult Swim’s over-the-top cop show, Eagleheart. Team Decider also told you a couple of years ago how Gelman would be your new favorite character on FX’s series, Married.
'Funny or Die Presents (HBO): 1,000 Cats'
Perhaps the first time everyone got to see Gelman’s comedic potential came via HBO’s anthology series, Funny or Die Presents, when they devote half of an episode to his nonironic staging of “1,000 Cats.” Nothing I type here can prepare you for it, but thankfully Vimeo has it all for you to absorb in all of its glory.
'Lemon'
This year, Gelman and his wife Janicza Bravo debuted Lemon at Sundance, a feature film that they co-wrote and Bravo directed, starring Gelman as a 40-year-old actor and acting coach who suddenly realizes nothing in his life has turned out the way he’d hoped. Instead, to borrow a term from used cars, he’s a lemon. Co-starring Judy Greer, Michael Cera, Gillian Jacobs, Jeff Garlin and Nia Long, the film confronts the main character with the ugly, if also sadly funny truth.
You also can currently see Gelman in the supporting casts of Love on Netflix and Another Period on Comedy Central.
Wherever you see him, once you see Brett Gelman, you cannot unsee him. He’ll appear in everything else you love to watch.
Sean L. McCarthy works the comedy beat for his own digital newspaper, The Comic’s Comic; before that, for actual newspapers. Based in NYC but will travel anywhere for the scoop: Ice cream or news. He also tweets @thecomicscomic and podcasts half-hour episodes with comedians revealing origin stories: The Comic’s Comic Presents Last Things First.
