Inside Paul Reiser’s Renaissance And Its Looming Expansion

Similar to last season, this fall looks to be a lucrative one for Paul Reiser and his endeavors.

The “Fall of Paul” doesn’t have a good ring to it, and if you ask Reiser about the “Summer of Paul”, when he graced the screen in several of last season’s top television shows, he’s not too keen on how that flows either.

“The ‘Summer of Paul’, it sounds vaguely Son of Sam-ish,’ the accomplished actor and comedian joked over a Zoom video interview. “Yeah, it’s really been a surprise and a lot of fun. The reality, though, is that these things were done a year ago and just so happened to come at— well, Stranger Things and The Boys dropped on the same week, almost.

“And so there was this double whammy effect. In my own reality, I go, ‘Oh yeah, that was last summer, those couple of days.’ So it suddenly has a fortuitous landing, which is not by design on my part, for sure. So not to diminish me, but it has definitely been a noticeable thing.

“I was in Ireland when they both dropped, and the combination of those things happening at the same time and also being in a place where they’re not used to seeing people from American television, I was certainly struck by how much recognition and how powerful the reach of those shows are.”

Whatever you want to call it, Reiser’s collection of top television/streaming projects last summer was beyond impressive. He was on Season 3 of The Kominsky Method (NetflixNFLX
) — after joining the series in Season 2, Season 4 of Stranger Things (Netflix) — after first appearing in Season 2, and he joined The Boys (AmazonAMAZON
Prime Video) in its third season.

“So on The Boys, I was a little— not apprehensive, but just prepared to not quite fit in,” Paul recalled. “It’s such another universe, and it’s such a dark universe, and they were up and running, and I’m the new kid coming in with my lunch tray to find a place to sit just for the few days.

“And to my great surprise and relief, they were all so welcoming and pleasant. I thought for sure… I said, ‘Well, Karl Urban, he’s going to be a horrible guy.’ No, couldn’t be a sweeter guy. I’m like every idiot out there, going, ‘Oh, he must be exactly like he is on television,’ because that’s what I saw.

“But no, he’s just a really nice guy. And so getting to hang with these guys and Jack Quaid and Laz (Alonso), they were just all welcoming.”

Paul loved sinking his teeth into an incredibly unique role in an incredibly unique show with The Boys.

“It was really [an] old Hollywood kind of archetype, which is not what their world is. So it was really fun,” Paul said of playing “The Legend”, a Stan Lee parody way sleazier than the iconic comic creator. “And it was scripted, but they let us play with it. And a lot of the stuff that was in there, we improvised on the spot. And a lot of it just felt kind of real.

“Looking at Jack Quaid and throwing some names out, and he’s never heard of them. So when I said, ‘Read a book,’ it felt very organic to go, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m triple your age, almost. Or at least double your age.’ And therein was the comedy.”

Reiser found the set and cast of Stranger Things to be equally as relaxed, fun, and impressive.

“And Stranger Things, as ambitious as that show is and as hardworking as that crew is, it’s all pretty pleasant,” Reiser said. “The Duffer brothers are very chill, and they don’t have egos. They’re just very focused on the work.

“And the kids who are, whatever, 14 when they started, are growing into these nice people. They’re really just really nice kids. And I was certainly prepared to not be— not unwelcome, but I’m not going to hang. But they’re great, and they were all really fun to work with.”

One such Stranger Things cast member who impressed Reiser was Millie Bobby Brown, who was thrust into superstardom from her work as “Eleven” on the series.

“She’s an exceptional young woman because if you just look at publicity and go, ‘Wow, this is just this [popular] actress, and so on top of her game, and so savvy.’ And you expect if you don’t know better, ‘Well, she must be just so deliberate.’

“And she’s delightful, and sweet, and kind, and I can’t quite even imagine the world that she has to navigate. I mean, she’s such a cultural icon, especially for her age, her age group. So I don’t really know any of that world.

“I just know on the set she is game and playful and great with the crew. Those are qualities that will keep you going for a long time. When you’re as (in demand) as she is at this moment in history, to be that centered and grounded and kind, it’s kind of impressive. … I would not be. I would be horribly nasty.

“If I was 18 and that big, I would be just a tremendous jerk. On the other end of the spectrum, David Harbour is a prick. No (Paul laughs, not able to maintain a straight face at the playful jab to Harbour).”

Reiser previously worked with veteran Stranger Things actor Matthew Modine.

“We did a movie in ’93 or ’94 called Bye Bye Love. And it was Matthew Modine, Randy Quaid, myself, and Janeane Garofalo,” Reiser recalled. “Yeah, he was great to work with, and yeah, he’s a really cool guy.

“He’s just very serene and focused and open-hearted. I keep looking for the flaws. Believe me, I’m looking for them. He’s just a good guy. But if there’s a crack in it, I will find it, trust me. I’m on to him. Nobody’s that nice.”

So will we see Paul in The Boys and Stranger Things’ following seasons?

Let’s start with Stranger Things.

“I literally don’t know. I don’t know,” Reiser stated. “They’re writing it right now, so call them and make sure they [include me]. You know what? I don’t know even if they know what they have planned. So if I knew, I couldn’t tell you, but I actually don’t know.”

As for The Boys…

“The Boys, I think it’s a little more likely because I was in it so little, and it cost them nothing. I can imagine you could drop that in,” Paul reasoned. “And it’s only season— what was it? Third season, so there’s more room. Whereas Stranger Things, they got to wrap it up.

(***STRANGER THINGS SEASON 4 SEMI-SPOILER IN FOLLOWING PARAGRAPH***)

“So I don’t know how Dr. Owens fits into that plan, but they left it very cleverly open for everybody. Is Matthew Modine dead? I’m not sure. Am I dead? Maybe. Maybe not.”

This fall looks incredibly promising for Reiser and his career resurgence as well.

Beginning September 20, you’ll be able to see Paul as “Gordon” in Hulu’s upcoming comedy series Reboot. The show focuses on a dysfunctional cast forced to work together again under the circumstances of today’s world.

The series also stars Fred Melamed, Judy Greer, Rachel Bloom, and Keegan-Michael Key.

“Well, the funny thing is, I have always been against reboots, and people go, ‘But you did one. You did a Mad About You reboot,’” Reiser said. “I go, ‘Well, yes and no,’ because in my mind, it was never a reboot. A reboot to me is like, ‘Let’s try and recreate it and just start it up again.’

“In Mad About You, to Helen Hunt and myself, our mind was the only reason it was— well, there’s two reasons that we did it. It was because we wanted to work together again, and that was the fun draw. But also we realize, these people have been away from the audience for 20 years, and in those 20 years, a kid has grown and is now leaving the house, and we are older, and our dreams that we had as newlyweds may or may not have all come true. And reality has hit us squarely right between the eyes. And we thought, ‘That’s a fun place to write.’”

Reboot creator Steve Levitan had a fresh take on providing the audience with an inside look at the various elements involved in a current rebooted project.

“Steve Levitan had this idea of, ‘Let’s look at reboots and what an interesting, unique concept it is to try and regenerate a show,’” Reiser said. “But what drew me to it was not the concept so much as Steve is a really funny, great writer.

“The cast that I was joining was really great, and the scripts were funny. And again, it was a role that I felt like I know this world so well, and it was fun to be on the other side of it.

“There were scenes of walking from the writer’s office to the stage or back after an unsuccessful run-through. And it was like, ‘I know that feeling.’ But here, you’re getting to actually not talk about the sitcom that you’re doing a run-through of, but rather the long, painful walk afterwards. I’m like, ‘Oh, that’s really fun.’

“And I thought it was really accurate. It was well written and great, great laughs, but it was very true to the feeling of making a sitcom. And of course, what’s fun, the premise of coming back 20 years later.

“Well, the cute kid from the show is not a cute kid anymore. The actors who at this point in their life are different. They don’t all get along. Life has changed. Throw them back together and see what happens. So it just felt like a really rich area. I hope we get to do some more because I had a great time.”

Also releasing this fall is a comedy feature film Reiser co-wrote and produced titled The Problem with People. Paul had wanted to make a movie in Ireland for several years. After getting the script where he wanted it, COVID kept the ball from rolling with the film for a while but eventually Reiser got his movie into production.

“So it was ready to go, which was a great feeling that when we finally got it all together, it was like, ‘Here we go,’ Paul said. “There’s not a lot of rewriting. The script is solid.

“And it was a great experience, as good as I could have hoped. And even things like when they say, ‘Oh, the weather in Ireland. You have to be aware that you’re going to…’ It was beautiful. And everybody kept saying, ‘We don’t usually have this weather.’ ‘Well, you do now.’ So it was great, and I kind of fell in love with the country. It’s just they’re all pleasant and nice and not as uptight and not as strained as everything feels here right now.”

According to IMDB, the plot of The Problem with People centers on two estranged cousins who never met trying to make amends for generations of family turmoil.

In addition to landing in 1982’s comedy classic Diner, Reiser being beloved by Tonight Show fans and former host Johnny Carson helped ignite his impressive career in show business.

Despite the laid-back nature of many comics today making a name for themselves on YouTube or in podcasting, Reiser thinks it’s still difficult for comedians trying to make it big today just as when many of them were competing to land with Carson.

“I think it’s still hard. Being good is hard. It’s hard to excel. It’s hard to stand out,” said Paul, who is getting back to his stand up roots this fall with a US tour. “Yes, there are more avenues now, but because there are so many, there’s so much out there, it’s harder to make an impact, in a way.

“How do you stand out? And I remember somebody said at the time, ‘Our goal was always to get on The Tonight Show.’ And I said, ‘Well, that must be the hardest thing.’ It’s like, no, it’s the easiest thing. The hard part is getting good enough to be on it, but the minute you’re good enough, they want you.

“Carson and Carson specifically loved comics, and he loved to discover comics and give them a break and support them. And he was terrifically supportive of all of us. I mean, Steve Martin or Albert Brooks might not have launched as they did because they were so offbeat.

“But all of us in my generation of comics, the goal was to get on it. If you got Johnny’s stamp of approval, you were off and running. So yeah, it’s a different world now, for sure. But again, if you’re good, if you have something new to add to the conversation, people will find you.”

There’s… Johnny, Reiser’s 2017 series on Carson’s Tonight Show, is available on Peacock.