‘Kidding’: Jim Carrey Doing What He Does Best

The Showtime series Kidding, created by Dave Holstein (Weeds), is about the faces we present to the world and the many layers of human underneath. Jim Carrey plays Jeff Piccirillo, and Piccirillo plays Jeff Pickles, the host of a wildly popular children’s television show in the vein of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, where he shepherds his mostly young viewers through the lessons and trials of growing up. Jeff’s Mr. Pickles character is not a major stretch for him. His gentle wisdom and nurturing disposition aren’t a façade timed to the rolling cameras. Jeff genuinely embraces life with a belief in the inherent goodness of people and an eye toward the effervescent kindness enduringly present in the world.

Jeff’s rose-colored outlook begins to dim, though, when a random accident takes the life of one of his children. In the aftermath of this devastating loss, Jeff’s wife, Jill (Judy Greer), leaves him; his surviving son, Will (Cole Allen), becomes increasingly distant; and Jeff himself struggles to meet the cameras with the unfailing saccharine buoyancy expected of the Mr. Pickles brand.

“Welcome to the exciting world of internal conflict,” as Frank Langella’s character announces in episode four. Langella plays Seb, Jeff’s father, who also happens to be the executive producer of Mr. Pickles’ Puppet Time. Seb isn’t necessarily torn by matters of conscience when deciding how to both care for his bereaved son and protect his multimillion-dollar marque. For Seb, market solutions are the best solutions: Exchange real-life Jeff for animated Jeffs  —  cartoons and puppets  —  and suddenly changeable, traumatized Jeff is unchangeable and inviolable, a rock-solid investment, a perpetually profitable entity.