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It’s always a good thing to have a nice family comedy added to the TV lineup, and NBC’s Indebted is exactly that. The new show feels classic in a refreshing way, and much of that is due to creator Dan Levy (not the Schitt’s Creek one, the stand-up comic and gossip enthusiast one). Previously a writer for The Goldbergs, Levy has taken the annoyances and minor frustrations we all feel for our family members and turned them into relatable, hilarious, and heart-warming moments that you can see (and watch with your own family!) beginning tonight at 9:30pm ET/PT on NBC.
Levy stopped by the Decider offices recently to talk about his first order of business when becoming a showrunner (lunch, of course), working in Adam Sandler’s former office, and why he knows where the Schitt’s Creek Dan Levy is parked.
Decider: How was it being a showrunner?
>Dan Levy: Being a showrunner’s very fun, it’s so much more work than just writing jokes and going home. But it’s been incredible because I’m able to put together a team of really funny writers and the cast is obviously incredible. It was intense but definitely rewarding. I’m really happy with the episodes and the product overall. I mean, I do have frozen shoulder because of stress.
Is that really a thing?
It’s really a thing! Yes! So I’m dealing with that, which involves physical therapy and stuff.
Did you feel prepared to be a showrunner? Or did you feel like, woah, what the hell is happening?
During the pilot I was like, ‘Woah, what the hell is happening?’ because it’s just a whole new thing. I’ve been in the writer’s room [on shows] for like 10 years, so I knew what I wanted to do and knew what didn’t like when I was a writer on staff. I felt somewhat prepared, but you can never be fully prepared because there are so many things thrown at you. One week, an episode’s not going to work, rewrite the story in a day. Someone’s sick, now you’ve got to talk to the cast. There are so many things happening at all times that you have to roll with it.
What were some of the things you took from previous shows you worked on that you thought, I’m definitely doing this or I’m definitely not doing that?
I definitely wanted to order your own lunch. That was my first thing. The show got picked up and I was like, here’s the deal: we’re not doing buffet style. Which I like and respect, but I need to order my own lunch every day. Individual meals. Big deal as a showrunner, you get to decide in LA: Coffee Bean or Starbucks. I went Starbucks.
More of the actual stuff that matters when making the show is being super decisive. Knowing what you want and being true to the characters and the show, especially since it was based off of my life, so I always knew what these people would say.
A lot of families think, ‘we should be a show’ — was there a moment in your family that really made it clear they should be a show?
My entire life [laughs]. I think it started when I had kids and my parents were in my house at all times. I had an open floor plan, which literally has no boundaries. So they were like, everywhere, at all times. And then my in-laws would come and they would be there. I was like, “There are so many people in my house! It’s crazy! It’s like Grand Central Station!” But it wasn’t until I talked to my parents about their future and longterm healthcare and the Baby Boomers’ retirement plan, that’s when I realized a lot of Baby Boomers, including my parents, didn’t really truly think that much into it. They were like, “We’ll come to California!” And that’s when I was like, I think this actual moment in time feels so real and so relatable to what’s going on that this is the time to do a show based on my family. That’s when I went in and brought it to NBC.
Did you always envision this as multi-cam?
No, I wrote the show as a single-cam. But after rewriting it with notes from the network and studio, it just got tighter and [with] more jokes. And with my background of stand-up, NBC felt like this could be a multi-cam. So they picked it up as a multi-cam, then it was off to the races and now I can’t picture it any other way. Our Friday night tape nights were just so exciting and energetic. Obviously Fran [Drescher] and Steven [Weber] did years and years of multi-cam. Adam [Pally] was never on a multi-cam before, never even guest-starred on one, but had that live performing, live comedy background, so he just crushed. Jessy Hodges, it was her first multi-cam, she killed. Abby [Elliot] obviously was on SNL and How I Met Your Mother so she did it before. It was great. It’s really hard to be a multi-cam actor because it’s a lot of technique, a lot of placement, a lot of blocking. It’s really doing a play. So you have to be good.
I have an individual crush on everyone in this cast in very different ways.
[Joking] Yeah, that was my goal in casting. And then, not to make you too hot, but Richard Kind is in three episodes! And if anyone turns on people in America, it’s Richard Kind screaming. Also Kate Berlant who’s very funny, she’s in the finale episode, where I am too, playing comedian Cousin Dan. It was hard to get into the character of begging someone to come to my comedy show, but I was able to figure it out.
Do your parents have any thoughts?
They love it. We actually filmed little interviews with them, talking about each episode after we shot it, so we’re going to put those online. They’re very supportive, surprise surprise!
How much of doing this show served as therapy for your family life?
I think completely [laughs]. A lot of the show, a lot of the stories actually come more from me and my wife’s relationship and our stories than my parents. It’s not about my childhood like The Goldbergs. It’s really about my life right now. We’ve been married for 10 years but having young kids, that time of your life is so stressful.
[In the pilot episode, when the parents surprise the couple at a Drake concert] my mom actually did that. One time, we were going out and we wanted her to babysit. But my mom came to see my friend Eric Hutchinson perform at the House of Blues. She was like, “I didn’t want to miss Eric!” But that’s who they are. And the show is these Baby Boomers who are irresponsible Baby Boomers. Adam and Abby find themselves taking care of their parents more so than their actual kids. And that’s kind of what happens when my parents come to town, it’s like, okay, let’s go to brunch. Meanwhile, my kids are fine, my parents are like, “What should we do now?” I’m like, I don’t know! Go to the park! Run around!
I do hope that the episode gets you some free Drake tickets.
That would be great. I would love that. They should, Adam’s wearing the merch!
It’s a nice detail!
Especially after the pilot, [you’ll see] how important the wardrobe was to me and Adam. But in the first episode, he’s wearing great boots and a great Drake hoodie. It’s also like, only a dad would buy a Drake hoodie.
I noticed that your son Abe did a little bit of on-screen time in Magic For Humans.
Oh! Magic for Humans! Justin Willman, my oldest friend, we were roommates! He’s the best. Having a dear friend as a magician is awesome when your son is into magic. Justin’s taken him to the Magic Castle, he’s been nice enough to sit there while Abe does his tricks to him.
Justin called me and said, hey, could he be on the show? And I was like, sure! And I kind of forgot that there’s all these rules and regulations. So I had to take him to set, he had to have a set coach. I was like, this is a nightmare! It was fun, but I don’t think we’re going to be putting Abe on TV anymore.
That was my next question, was he going to be on this show too?
No. He wants to. He wants to play his friend, who’s friends with the kid who’s based on him. It’s going to be a weird childhood.
How about your daughter, does she have any interest?
No. She just likes the snacks.
There’s been a lot of talk for a reboot of The Nanny, and a musical from Rachel Bloom on the way, too. How are you feeling about that? Do you want it to not happen so that you have Fran all to yourself?
Oh, I’m so excited for The Nanny the musical. Fran [recently] said she’s obviously focusing on Indebted right now, but the musical’s going to be amazing. My wife [Rachel Specter] worked on Crazy Ex-Girlfriend for four years and I love that it’s all in the family.
Does your wife work on this show too?
She does. Yeah, she and her writing partner Audrey [Wauchope] came onto Indebted as consulting producers, three days a week. Which was great, working together.
The writer’s room was amazing. It was like 80 percent female, and it was just really funny people who I’ve worked with over the years and I brought together. It was like the all-star team.
I saw on your Instagram that you have what was formerly Adam Sandler’s office. Did you feel the comedy vibes?
Oh yeah, we felt it. It was amazing. Our writer’s room was where Adam Sandler was for 20 years. Doug Robinson, who’s the executive producer of the show and he produces Goldbergs too, he was Adam’s agent. They built Happy Madison. They separated because Adam went to Netflix. But yeah, it was so cool being there. We moved one desk and it said “Sandler 2000.” So really it was like 20 years ago. There’s really cool Happy Madison stickers, all these cool little Sandler things that you find. His office was a writer’s room that was in this massive, beautiful building. And my office in that building has a kitchen because he had a chef. I do not have a chef. But I have La Croix.
The third episode of the show presents us with a game called Hot Goss — is this a real part of your life?
Hot Goss, yeah. Gossip revs my engine. There’s nothing better than a piece of hot goss that gets you going.
It’s like the currency of life.
It is! There is nothing better than gossip! When someone closes the door and looks at you, it’s like, let’s do it. Let’s do it.
Popular time for people with your name, as well.
Yes. Exactly. Dan Levy, hilarious creator of Schitt’s Creek. [There is also a] Dan Levy nominated for an Oscar for a movie [the composer for I Lost My Body]. It’s getting out of control.
Have you ever had a situation where someone thought you were a different one?
Oh yeah, that happens to us all the time. And sometimes he’ll send me voice memos to himself, like, “Remember you’re parked on P2.” And I’ll get it. So it messes everyone up in life and in our own lives.
People will call him “of Schitt’s Creek,” but do you have a way you want to be distinguished?
Dan Levy of gossip? Dan Levy loves gossip? I’m a stand-up comic, so that’s probably the best way to do it. Stand-up comic.
But I do like gossip. That’s pretty good too.
Stand-up and gossip enthusiast Dan Levy. I would love that to be the title of the story, “Gossip Enthusiast Dan Levy Has New Show.”
You are one of my favorite people to follow on Instagram so I need to know how your stained driveway is doing.
Oh, the purple dick. A year ago I drove over a purple marker, and it exploded on my driveway and when it all went away, it became a stain of a purple dick. I documented on my Instagram and people seemed to really be into this story. Eventually it faded. It’s still there, but you can’t really see it. It was crazy! It was the biggest, purplest dick I’ve ever seen! Couldn’t get it off my driveway!
Any other hot goss or things you want to tease that you’re excited for people to see?
We have a really funny episode about social media. We have an episode about how you’re always trying to keep up with other people, and ultimately, all you want to do is stay home. Fran and Steven’s characters go, ‘Why do you care about what other people are doing?’ And it’s like, ‘Mom, don’t you want to go somewhere else?’ She’s like, ‘No because I’m the best wherever the best thing is happening.’ And it’s such a great perspective because it’s so real to Fran Drescher, so real to my mom, and I think to a lot of Baby Boomers. I think we need to live in the moment a little more.
Indebted premieres Thursday, February 6 at 9:30pm ET/PT on NBC.
