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The Cool Kids
Praise Lucy, Mary, and Jerry, because multi-cam sitcoms are back, baby! Not only is the primetime network schedge wall-to-wall with revived shows (it’s been way too long, Murphy Brown!), it also has plenty of new shows carrying on the grand, live-audience-pleasing tradition. There’s even one show that kinda exists in the middle of both the revival craze and the resurgence of the classic comedy style. That show… is Fox’s The Cool Kids.
The Cool Kids ain’t a revival. No, it’s premise is all-new (a bunch of retirees rule an old folks’ home with the power of their coolness). But then you look at the cast and you think, “Waitaminute, haven’t these four faces been on shows together for decades?” They have not! In fact, the four stars–Vicki Lawrence, Martin Mull, David Alan Grier, and Leslie Jordan–have never appeared together on a show before. But, and here’s why your brain was tricking you, the four of them have appeared on probably every single hit show of the past 40 years if you combine all of their filmographies.
The Cool Kids are also The Iconic Kids when it comes to TV history, having appeared on everything from The Carol Burnett Show to Veep and Will & Grace and even a bunch of those hit live musicals. They’ve been everywhere! If you need a refresher course of who’s who in The Cool Kids, then this TV guide is for you.
David Alan Grier
David Alan Grier plays Hank, the grouchy leader of this ragtag bunch. Grier was at the forefront of Fox’s pop culture arrival as one of the main performers on the groundbreaking early ’90s sketch show In Living Color. He was one of the few cast members to stay on the show for all 5 seasons, absolutely slaying in sketches as Tiny the prison inmate and Antoine Merriweather (“Hated it!“). Since then he’s become a sitcom regular, starring in his own series DAG for one season and rounding out the cast on shows like Life with Bonnie, Damon, and The Carmichael Show. He’s even been part of those annual live musicals, starring in The Wiz Live! as the Cowardly Lion and A Christmas Story Live! as Santa.
Leslie Jordan
Leslie Jordan’s Sid may be small but he packs a helluva punch. He’s done up from H to T and loves stirring up all the drama. This is a role Jordan was born to play, as modern TV audiences most know him for his recurring and diabolically fabulous role as Beverley Leslie on Will & Grace. A playwright and veteran of the stage, Jordan also has plenty of sitcom cred. He was a regular on the ’90s sitcom Hearts Afire and has guest-starred on every single show, basically. Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Ally McBeal, Coach, Murphy Brown, Newhart, Boston Legal, RuPaul’s Drag Race, Ugly Betty, American Horror Story–if you’ve watched TV, you’ve seen Leslie Jordan.
Vicki Lawrence
Kicking over the boys-club status quo at the cool kids table is Vicki Lawrence as the no-nonsense badass Margaret. Lawrence has made a career playing tough ladies, evidenced by her decades-long carer playing Thelma Harper on The Carol Burnett Show and the hit spinoff Mama’s Family. Since creating the instantly iconic Mama, Lawrence has had her own daytime talk show, done a stint on Hollywood Squares, and had recurring roles on Hannah Montana and Yes, Dear. Most recently she appeared on the absolutely hysterical (and gone too soon) NBC comedy Great News.
Martin Mull
Last but certainly not least is Martin Mull who plays Charlie, the spaced out remnants of a former hippie who traded out his peacenik look for golf grandad chic. Originally known for his comedy records (not stand-up, either, actual songs!), Mull’s been a TV mainstay for 40 years. He became a go-to guy for hilarious guest spots, popping up on Taxi and Golden Girls before landing a recurring-to-regular gig on Roseanne as the gay diner manager Leon. Since then, you’ve seen him on Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Arrested Development (Gene Parmesan!), Veep and The Ranch. And just this year he narrated the Netflix original film A Futile and Stupid Gesture.
