TV Jots

A Winning Underdog Returns

I recently had the fun opportunity to chat with sitcom star Jay Harrington about his rookie ABC comedy Better Off Ted. The series and its top-notch cast (Isabella Acres, Andrea Anders, Malcolm Barrett, Portia de Rossi, and Jonathan Slavin) return tonight, June 23, at 9:30pm ET to begin a summer run of new episodes, and I don’t think any fan of the show is happier about that than I am.

When ABC announced back in May that it was renewing the series for a second season, the news stunned many viewers who were thrilled to see a network giving a well-made, entertaining show time to succeed for once instead of insisting on unrealistically high ratings right out of the gate.

So, with that great fortune in mind, I asked Jay Harrington a variety of questions, ranging from general “what’s coming up next” nosiness to how he feels about the fact that television writers at the Los Angeles Times and the New York Times have suggested him for a comedy lead actor Emmy nomination for his performance as likable and competent Ted Crisp, head of the research and development department at zany scientific corporation Veridian Dynamics. Read on to learn his responses, some of which include spoilers.

Congratulations on Better Off Ted’s renewal. Did you and the rest of the show’s cast and crew see a second season coming, or was ABC’s decision as much of a surprise to you all as it was to us fans?

JAY HARRINGTON: I think I am a little bit more with you as a fan just because I have watched the way things have been going these days with shows getting a quick shot and that’s it. I was surprised we got picked up, but knowing what we have been doing each week with the quality of the episodes, I was surprised but hopeful. We did okay with numbers and ratings, we were consistent, [and] we kept the audience that was given.

I believe there are six episodes left in the first season that will begin airing on June 23. Are there any major developments coming up on the show that you can discuss a little?

JAY HARRINGTON: Yes, I will give you one that’s specifically about a superstitious character. We get to see a little bit of her personal side with technology that develops face definitions. When you scan a photo into a computer, it will show you any place that person has been or lived in recent history. We use [the character] as one example in the meeting, and it turns out she’s been moonlighting at a job, and it’s really quite funny.

Will Ted and Linda (Andrea Anders) stop playing games and finally hook up?

JAY HARRINGTON: Ted is going to true up to his one office affair rule for a little while longer. [Linda] does break up with her boyfriend, you know, and there are real feelings there. But it’s a relationship we’re definitely going to take into account next season.

You’ve acted on a lot of television shows, many comedies, so you have plenty of experience with the medium and the genre. Why did you decide to join the cast of Better Off Ted. What was so special or attractive about the series, besides the paycheck, of course?

JAY HARRINGTON: I’d say it’s the most original concept I ever read to date, where characters speak to the camera. I really like that [Ted] is a single dad raising a daughter in a corporate world that may not be in his moral agenda. But he had to do right [by his daughter]. And I was certainly attracted to that quality of the character and talking to the camera. Having the wackiness around was a lot of fun to play with each week.

It must feel pretty good to learn that several TV writers are already supporting an Emmy nomination for your work on Better Off Ted. What was your reaction when you heard that news?

JAY HARRINGTON: It does. I was completely shocked because I go [to the Better Off Ted sets] to do the work, I know that what [the writers] write is really good stuff, the quality is certainly there. To hear your name in the mix with people I watch myself was really— I was touched by that.

I don’t see [an Emmy nomination] happening at this point, but it’s nice to be mentioned. It’s nice to be recognized for doing something that comes from what [series creator and executive producer] Victor Fresco writes. That I am doing it any bit of justice is a good feeling.

One of my favorite characters on the show is your on-screen daughter Rose, who’s played by adorable child actress Isabella Acres. She really does seem smarter and wiser than the grown-ups a lot of the time, including Ted. How do you establish such a good rapport with a cast member that young?

JAY HARRINGTON: She is so good. (laughs) I think that’s probably true in real life with most eight-year-olds when they see their parents involved in a world they don’t understand. It applies to her acting, as well.

She’s so unsocialized as a person; when you give her a bunch of lines to memorize, she just does it, whereas an adult, we materialize our own experiences. And when you ask me to act sad, there are a million places I can go to to bring me to a place of being sad, whether it’s a death or a breakup. When you’re eight and you act sad, it’s usually because you didn’t get candy. It’s usually simple values [kids that age] have, so it’s fun to work with her.

I don’t know if work on the second season of Better Off Ted has started yet, but are you aware of any upcoming changes or developments that you can share?

JAY HARRINGTON: I wish I could. We don’t shoot until August. I went to see the writers the other day. They just began breaking story ideas, so there’s really nothing there.

Well, we fans are just going to have to be patient and wait for the second season to get underway. In the meantime, check out current new episodes of Better Off Ted, starting tonight with “You Are the Boss of Me.”

Never watched before? Then take a look at the following series-premiere preview video to get an idea of what the comedy is about, catch up on full episodes at the Better Off Ted website, and start tuning in when the sitcom returns. It’s never too late to get into a great show.