Bullz-Eye: So how did you find yourself involved in TBS’s “Who Gets the Last Laugh?” Did they reach out to you?

Kevin McDonald: They reached out to me! Yes! I was in my nice blue house in Winnipeg, and I got the email from them, saying, “Would you like to do this?” And I thought at first that I’d be too Canadian to do this. Like, too polite. I thought I’d be too nice to pull pranks on people. That’s what I thought in my blue house in Winnipeg. But as it turned out, I could do it!

BE: Did you have to fight your every Canadian instinct to do it?

KM: Yes. [Laughs.] At first I did. Because we’re too polite and too nice, and we feel guilty. But then you get into it, and…it’s not even like the cruel part of me kicked in or anything…until it did. But it wasn’t even that. It was just, y’know, “It’s a job.” And once I started getting into it, it sort of became like a sketch, only with one of the people not knowing what the script was. And that was sort of the challenge, but I got really into it. I really enjoyed it.

BE: Are you a fan of the prank-show genre as a rule?

KM: Well, when I was a kid, “Candid Camera” was one of my favorite shows. I guess that was probably the genesis of it. I’d watch “Candid Camera” at home, and I did quite enjoy it. And because we were Canadians, then we’d spend 20 minutes holding hands, feeling guilty. But then we’d watch it again the next week.

BE: The one-liner they use to describe your prank in the press release is that you leave a confusing impression.

KM: [Laughs.] I think that’s right on!

BE: Did you have a particular way of approaching the prank? Did you plot out the possible reactions you might get?

KM: Well, they sort of just plop you in the middle of it, y’know? Like, I knew what the prank was as I was going there, and, y’know, I’ve seen “Punk’d” and stuff, but I still had no idea what I was going to be doing. Then they plunk you in the middle and all of a sudden say, “Okay, we’ve got to do it now!” And you have to do it, so you just kind of get into it. It’s kind of trial by fire. Everything I’d planned out beforehand just made no sense when it was happening. So it really is like improv. It was so much fun whispering to the actors who were in on the prank, telling them what to say, and they were so good that they could talk and hear and repeat what I was saying. If you’re a control freak, it’s very rewarding.

BE: You’ve done a lot of voice work over the years. Are you still enjoying doing the cartoon voices?

KM: Oh, yeah, I love it. I’m still doing a lot of those, and it’s fun, but it’s very tiring because you scream all day. Well, not all day. It’s actually only about an hour at a time, usally. But you’re screaming for the entire hour. Especially if you’re the kind of guy who I tend to play in cartoons. I end up falling down stairs a lot, so I’m having to make those sounds for an hour.

BE: Do you have a favorite cartoon that you’ve worked on?

KM: Well, I like “Lilo & Stitch,” but I think my favorite one that I’ve done is one for Nickelodeon called “Invader Zim.” I get almost as many compliments for that as I do Kids in the Hall. It was a really smart cartoon, by a young guy who was a comic book guy. I think he was 25 or 26 at the time, but he looked 16. But he was sort of a genius. And it was really fun to do. It was a good comedy, which you don’t always get to do.

BE: Speaking of Kids in the Hall, the last time I saw you was at the TCA Press Tour, when you were promoting “Death Comes to Town.”

KM: Oh, right! Oh, yeah, that was a lot of fun. I got to bring my new girlfriend at the time. And I saw Yoko Ono in the lobby! What was she promoting?

BE: A PBS documentary about John Lennon.

KM: Right! Yeah, that was the most exciting part. [Laughs.] Seeing Yoko Ono was pretty exciting!

BE: So has there been any talk about reuniting for another Kids in the Hall special or miniseries?

KM: Yeah, we’re talking about it now. It’s kind of hard to get us all together. We almost got together last month, and then I had to cancel, so now everyone’s mad at me, including me. But we’re trying to get together to do what we did last time, which is another tour and another miniseries. That’s what the plan is, anyway.

BE: A lot of your fellow Kids tend to pop up on various sitcoms – or, in Scott Thompson’s case, dramas – but you’ve spent a fair amount of time writing for TV as well, including a stint on ABC’s Carpoolers. Would you be agreeable to taking a full-time writing gigs?

KM: Well, yeah, actually, I just did two weeks guest-writing on “Saturday Night Live,” and there’s a chance that I might do it full-time next year if it works out. But I’ve also written a spec TV script that’s getting me offers to be on a staff, so that may happen. I’d never give up performing, but for a year I might write, and my first choice would be “Saturday Night Live.” The pay is less, but who cares? It’s “Saturday Night Live”! [Laughs.]

BE: Did you get any sketches on the air during your guest-writing stint for “SNL”?

KM: I had one that made it to dress. It was very exciting that they picked it. It was on the Melissa McCarthy show. But it was one of the ones that was cut before the show. But I have the DVD of it, so I see it every now and then and cry. [Laughs.] But it was really fun. Melissa McCarthy was great. She was so great. She made the sketch so much better than it actually was when I wrote it. It was so exciting to watch. That’s another case where they just thrust you into it and assume you know what to do, because the writer of each sketch also produces the sketch, so you have to tell the actors what to do, the set designers what to design, talk to hair, makeup, and wardrobe, make sure the cue cards are right, get the music cues set… It was very exciting.

BE: You also did a stint writing for “The Martin Short Show.”

KM: Yes! I was a writer and a performer on that. But my favorite part was the writing. Even though I loved the performing. But it was very exciting to work with Martin Short. I’d write during the day and sometimes do a sketch at night if I got one in, but I’d be in my writing office and I’d go down to the floor where he was filming a sketch and just watch him work. Just to watch his process. I’ve yet to understand his process, but it was exciting to watch. Like, he’d be certain of the lines, he’d be certain of a character, and he’d do take one, take two, take three. But for takes four through seven, he knew he had it, so that’s when he’d start playing with it and finding things and improvising. That was so exciting to watch a true, bonafied comedy genius work. I got to see all those takes and see him improve it and improve it… That was very exciting. That was the best part of the job.

BE: Do you have a favorite project that you’ve worked on that didn’t get the love you thought it deserved?

KM: I liked the movie “Sky High.” I thought that was going to be a bigger hit. I did it with Dave Foley and Bruce Campbell. It was a high school for superheroes. Kurt Russell was in it, too, and he was great. I was the smart guy with the giant head. [Laughs.] I wish that’d gotten more love, because that was actually sort of good. Oh, and there’s another one, one that I wish had gotten more love for the Kids in the Hall: “Brain Candy.” It cost eight million and grossed three million. So that’s my big one for wanting more love.

BE: Lastly, how did you enjoy the experience of working on “That ‘70s Show”?

KM: That was great! That happened because of the Kids in the Hall. Mark Brazill, who’s the creator of the show, and Topher Grace, they came to our reunion show at the Wiltern Theater, and they were about to cast for the part of Pastor Dave. And they thought, “Oh, Kevin McDonald! He looks like a pastor! And he’s Canadian!” If you’re really Canadian, you seem kind of priest-like. I understand that. So they asked me to do it, and that was fun. I think it was for three seasons that I would come do stuff. And those kids, they were so young, but they were all Kids in the Hall fans. And they were all nice. I don’t have any bad stories! They were all nice. Now, I heard bad stories. [Laughs.] From the crew. But I don’t have any bad stories. They were all very nice to me!

Bullz-Eye: Just the fact that “Men at Work” has gotten a second season, period, has got to be pretty thrilling in and of itself, but how was it to go back to work for season two?

Danny Masterson: You know, it’s funny: we actually only took about six weeks off, so we didn’t feel like we had a whole summer hiatus. We just took six weeks, and then we kept going with the same director and same crew, so it just feels like a really long first season that we’ve shot. We just had a lot of excellent new guest stars, I guess.

BE: Yeah, the list is pretty impressive.

DM: Thanks! I think it’s sort of a benefit of having both Breckin (Meyer) and I both working since we were little kids. We’ve worked with a lot of people who are known actors, so it’s fun to sort of bring those friends in to work with you for a bit.

BE: When you guys came onto the series, how well-defined were the characters on the page versus what they became once they were actually cast?

DM: You know, I think they were pretty well defined. Breckin sort of based them off…well, he based my character, Milo, off himself. [Laughs.] And the three friends are based off of his three best friends. So pretty much everybody knew exactly who they were in the beginning. And then, obviously, as you’re going through the episodes, you sort of change your characters a little bit to make them suited towards you a little bit, just in terms of everyone’s own personalities. But I’d say 95% is exactly how Breckin wrote it to begin with.

BE: Did the cast bond pretty quickly?

DM: Yeah, I’d say so. I’ve known James Lesure for…I dunno, maybe 10 years. I hadn’t met Adam (Busch) or (Michael) Cassidy before, but, y’know, right from the table read everyone was really excited to have a really cool job, so… I get along with everybody, and they’re all really great people. Three totally different personalities, but we’ve never had a single fight. I mean, it’s only been two years, obviously, so we’ll probably wrestle at some point. [Laughs.] But they’re really fun. Everyone’s really stoked to have a good job, we all enjoy it, and as long as the writing stays good – and the writing’s been really good – I think we’ll all stay really happy.

BE: Speaking of writing, as a writer, I have to wonder how many times you’ve heard from various critics that, uh, not many magazine offices tend to run the way the one on “Men at Work” does.

DM: [Sighs.] Um…y’know, honestly, we’re entertaining people. We’re doing a situation comedy. We’re just there to make people laugh. So…I mean, it’d be like every lawyer watching “L.A. Law” and going, “You know, that’s not really what court’s like.” [Laughs.] It’s just one of those things..

BE: As you mentioned, you’ve got several new guest stars coming up for season two, but who were your favorites from season one?

DM: Y’know, it was super fun, obviously, working with (Laura) Prepon again, having spent eight years with her (on “That ‘70s Show”), so that was just sort of, like, every time we would say, “Cut,” we’d just start laughing. It was, like, “Oh, my God, this is ridiculous. This is just like what we used to do together.” And then, for me, working with Kevin Pollak, who I’m just such a massive fan of and who’s a friend of mine, but it’s still, like, “I can’t believe I get to be friends with Kevin Pollak!” [Laughs.] So to get to do that episode with him, the scene about the toilet bowl, was definitely a highlight. And it was probably the only scene that year that I had a hard time getting through. I just kept breaking and laughing every time. It was great.

BE: I was surprised that your brother (Christopher Masterson) turned up on the show playing someone other than your character’s brother. Was that just deemed too obvious?

DM: Well, y’know, it’s one of those things where the scripts come out and Breckin says, “Oh, we have this role for someone and that role for someone,” and when he said, “We have this role for this really strange, weird guy…” It could’ve been any kind of character. We didn’t know what Chris was gonna do when he came in. The character was not supposed to have an accent of any sort or…be any sort of persuasion or anything. [Laughs.] He just came in and, at the first rehearsal, just started doing that character, and everyone started laughing. That’s basically what happened.

BE: To bring it to season two, would you say that Milo has changed at all since we saw him in Season 1?

DM: Yeah, I’d say so. In season two, we have a really good relationship arc with Sarah Wright that’s really funny, where he goes from not being able to handle chatting with girls, then all of a sudden he has this girlfriend that he doesn’t know what to do with. And they very quickly become a very boring relationship that seems like they’ve been together for 20 years, even though they’ve only been together for a few weeks. So that was fun playing the exact opposite of season one. Otherwise, you know, it’s sort of the same thing in terms of Milo doing something kind of stupid and the guys sort of getting on him. He does something idiotic, and the other three pounce on him. That’s what’s been the most fun to do, character-wise.

BE: It’s great to see that you’ve brought back J.K. Simmons for this season.

DM: Oh, yeah, he’s done a few episodes, and he’s in the season finale. He’s so funny, and getting to work with him is amazing.

BE: How much of the show is scripted, and how much of an opportunity do you have to adlib?

DM: There’s basically zero adlibbing.

BE: Really?

DM: Yeah. Y’know, there are certain shows where there’s a lot of improv, and there are shows where there isn’t. When I was doing “That ‘70s Show,” Bonnie and Terry Turner kind of beat improv out of us. [Laughs.] We’ll definitely have…we’ll shoot a scene twice, and then if there are any jokes where it’s, like, “Let’s try this,” or, “I have a joke!” Everybody pitches everybody jokes, you pitch the writers, the writers pitch you, and if you find something that’s funny, then you might do two or three different pick-ups with alternate jokes. But that’s not really improv. That’s like being in the writer’s room, and then you go ahead and perform it. There’s never really any sort of curveball thrown. And that makes it easier, really, because you don’t have everybody trying to do one-ups and shit. The writers do their jobs, and as actors, we do our jobs.

BE: Setting aside “Men at Work,” what would you say is your favorite project you’ve worked on over the years that didn’t get the love you thought it deserved?

DM: Um…that’s a good question. I would say the movie “The Brooklyn Heist,” which I made in New York and produced. I thought that turned out really, really good. Y’know, we got a small theatrical release in New York, but a lot of people haven’t seen it. I don’t think it’s ever gotten a TV deal. It seems like these days you make a movie and…it used to be that people would see it on HBO or Showtime years later, but that doesn’t seem to happen as much anymore. I think it’s because of iTunes and downloads and all that stuff. But I think that movie, for the amount we shot it for and the way that it was shot, genre-wise, it was really, really smart. So, yeah, “The Brooklyn Heist,” that’d probably be my one that people would enjoy.

BE: You know, “Star Kid” is now on Netflix on Demand.

DM: Wow. You know, I’ve never actually seen that. What do I have, like, one scene in that movie? [Laughs.]

BE: Not significantly more than that, anyway.

DM: Ashlee Levitch, who plays the older sister in that movie, used to be a very good friend of mine. I haven’t seen her in probably 15 years, but when we were teenagers, she was always on a show, I was always on a show, so she called and said, “Hey, I’m doing this movie with the kid from ‘Jurassic Park’ (Joseph Mazzello), would you come play my boyfriend? It’s just for a scene or two.” So I said, “Yeah, okay, sure!” That’s literally how I got that movie. I never even saw the script. But I remember it was actually called “The Warrior of Waverly Street” when I signed onto it.

BE: You did some film work after “That ‘70s Show,” but do you enjoy returning to the routine of series television?

DM: Oh, yeah, I love it. And I definitely wasn’t looking to do a drama. I did a one-hour drama when I was 18, and it’s just such a brutal lifestyle. I mean, that’s a schedule that…most actors who are on one-hour dramas are leads, which means no life for 10 months out of the year, and if it goes for 10 years, then that’s sort of who you are. For me, doing a sitcom is…I mean, toward the end of “That ‘70s Show,” we were working 20 hours a week to get the show together, but on “Men at Work,” we’re obviously working a lot longer, because it’s newer and not everybody knows what they’re doing exactly…including myself, because we’re all still sort of getting to know each other. But it’s basically just summer camp all day, every day. You’re literally just rehearsing to make each other laugh, making fun of each other, and trying to get it ready to do it in front of a live audience. There’s really no better job in show business.

Bullz-Eye: When one of your most famous characters is turned into part of a superhero duo with their own comic book (Bluntman & Chronic), you’ve got pretty good geek credentials, but what is it about you, Jason Mewes, that makes you a geek?

Jason Mewes: Um, I would say…I could be considered a geek in the sense of my love of TV shows, comics, and action figures. I collect action figures, I collect Legos, I have a Batman pillowcase and sheet set, and, y’know, I play video games all day: “Call of Duty,” “Black Ops,” “Lego Batman 2: DC SuperHeroes”… And I guess a love of technology. I mean, I don’t know why I’m obsessed with technology, and some of it I don’t know how to use, but I want it. I have an iMac that I’ve had for a couple of years, but now they’ve got that new iMac and I want to go get it. I haven’t, but I want to, even though mine’s perfectly fine, because the new one’s all sleek and slim and amazing. I have the newest iPad, the oldest iPad, and when the iPad Mini comes out, I want to get that. So I don’t know, I guess I’d just say that my love of technology, games, comics, toys, all that…I don’t know if that makes me a child or a nerd. [Laughs.]

BE: How was the experience of being a judge on “King of the Nerds”?

JM: It was awesome. What they talked about, the content and the debating of each topic, was awesome, not to mention getting to sit there as a judge, but also the hosts (Robert Carradine and Curtis Armstrong)…I mean, “Revenge of the Nerds” was one of my favorite movies growing up. I know the whole song. [Starts singing.] “Clap your hands, everybody / And everybody clap your hands!” That was my favorite. And to be able to meet Lewis and Booger…that was a treat. So combining the stuff that they talked about and that we got to judge them and the hosts, it was amazing.

BE: Not to divulge any spoilers, but were there any contestants who, when you saw them on the show, struck you as being potential Kings?

JM: Um, you know… [Hesitates.] There’s a lot of great people on the show, so…I don’t know which one’ll be the King. And I don’t really want to give anything away, because they get kicked off…well, they don’t get kicked off, but they leave the show. But…I don’t know, there was a young lady there, I’ll say that, who was really passionate and was really on her stuff. She knew what she was talking about. So we’ll see what happens.

BE: Are you a fan of reality-competition shows as a rule?

JM: Yeah, man, I love “Design Star.”

BE: Really?

JM: Yeah! Have you heard of it?

BE: I have.

JM: “Design Star” is one of my favorite shows that my wife and I watch together. I love “Ultimate Fighter.” I’m a huge fan of that. I mean, how awesome is that show? So, yeah, I mean, there’s two right there that I can just name off the top of my head that are just awesome and that I’ve watched all of ‘em and downloaded ‘em from iTunes and have kept up with ‘em.

BE: What are some of your other TV obsessions?

JM: I’m obsessed with “24.” I just watched that through for the fourth or fifth time. I’m a big fan of…well, right now, I really dig “Grimm,” “Once Upon a Time,” and “Arrow.” But, see, then I have my old classics that I can watch anytime and enjoy ‘em, like “Murder, She Wrote,” “Matlock,” and “21 Jump Street.” I watch a lot of television, but I don’t necessarily just sit down in front of the television and watch. Like, even if it’s on my iPad when I’m in line at the Starbucks or when I’m on the toilet or something. [Laughs.] I just love TV, man. Particularly shows with cliffhangers.

BE: If you’re enough of a fan of “Murder, She Wrote” and “Matlock” to call them out as favorites, do you have any particular favorite guest stars on those shows?

JM: No, y’know, I just dig all of ‘em. I wouldn’t say there’s any particularly specific guest stars that stand out.

BE: As far as your other TV work, “Todd and the Book of Pure Evil” has become a cult hit, thanks to being available for online streaming.

JM: Yeah, it’s awesome, and I’m really hoping that… [Sighs.] Y’know, I’m so bummed they didn’t do a Season 3, because I really thought they had a lot more to tell. The guys had written…they’d already written for more stories, and I just feel like the show was definitely good enough to do more. I don’t know what it was exactly, if it was too expensive for the studio to make or what, but hopefully Netflix will make it more popular and give it that boost that it needs to get another season going or at least…if not another season, then to do a movie, maybe, to wrap up everything from the end of the last season.

BE: To wrap up, in regards to your work with Mr. Smith, are you excited about the prospect of returning to the ViewAskewniverse for one more “Clerks” movie?

JM: Yes! That would be awesome. I mean, it’s not set in stone yet, but I really hope it does happen. Any time I get to work with Kevin and all the people who are involved, it’s just fantastic.

BE: Have you got any thoughts on where Jay is nowadays?

JM: I think he’s kicking back and doing his thing, sitting and waiting and…creating and inventing something that will change the world. But we’ll see!

“Sullivan & Son” starts Steve Byrne as Steve Sullivan, an NYC attorney who returns home to Pittsburgh with his new girlfriend, Ashley (Brooke Lyons), in tow in order to help celebrate the 60th birthday of his Irish-American father, Jack (Dan Lauria). The birthday celebration takes place in the bar owned by Jack and his wife / Steve’s mother, Ok Cha (Jodi Long)…and in case the name didn’t give it away, yes, Steve’s mom is Korean. During the evening’s celebration, Steve’s parents reveal that they’ve decided to sell the bar, a newsflash which sends Steve into a tizzy of reflection as he tries to decide if his current path in life is more important than keeping the bar in the family. Unsurprisingly, he decides on the matter, talking his parents into selling the place to him, and although this utterly infuriates Ashley, who’d already worked out a 12-step program to have the perfect married life with Steve, it’s a decision which nicely sets up the premise of the series.

There are, of course, a number of regulars at the bar, including the possibly senile Hank (Brian Doyle-Murray), libidinous cougar Carol (Christine Ebersole), Steve’s best friend, Owen (Owen Benjamin), and, inevitably, Steve’s former sweetie, Melanie (Valerie Azlynn), who’s ostensibly off the market but will almost certainly end up sleeping with Steve, then regret it, then go back and forth about whether or not there’s a relationship to be had between them. It’s just that kind of sitcom.

You’d expect “Sullivan & Sons” to be much funnier than it is, since Vaughn and his regular co-conspirator Peter Billingsley are joined in their executive-producer stead by Rob Long, a longtime “Cheers” writer with a resume that includes a regular column for National Review. Sadly, if Long’s added anything to the mix, it’s either his expertise in how to film a sitcom set in a bar or the donation of leftover jokes that weren’t funny or clever enough for “Cheers,” because for all the funny people involved in this production, there’s precious little sign of creativity anywhere to be found.

It’s great to see Dan Lauria playing a dad again, as he so memorably did in “The Wonder Years” (I dare you to come up with a role he’s played that wasn’t a dad, a general, or a police officer), and he and Byrne seem to be having fun together, even if you’d never buy in a million years that they’re father and son. Jodi Long, however, tends to fall back on Korean stereotypes when playing Steve’s mom, Ebersole is playing the role of the sex-crazed cougar to the hilt, but not in a funny way, and Doyle-Murray is almost certainly just doing this for the cash (as is his right), because he’s given some of the laziest material on the show. Maybe it’s because they know he can wring laughs out of just about anything…? If so, the producers of “Sullivan & Son” should be reminded that even the best comedians have their limitations.

Once upon a time, there were actually semi-subtle comedies on TBS…or, at least, there was the one (“My Boys”)…but despite the fact that the network is home to reruns of such modern-day classics as “The Big Bang Theory” and “The Office,” it seems incapable of coming up with anything of its own that’s even remotely on par with those series. I’ve seen the first three episodes of “Sullivan & Son,” and although I wouldn’t necessarily that it gets worse as it goes along, it certainly doesn’t seem to have any interest in getting better. I’ve often felt that TBS is an acronym for “Totally Broad Schtick,” and the material in “Sullivan & Son” serves to cement the viability of that theory.