About a year and a half ago, Comedy Central aired the first episode of “Workaholics,” a sitcom about three college dropouts turned telemarketers. As expected, their lives don’t really amount to much, but when there are hilarious pranks and situations like gangster-rapping wizards, that really doesn’t matter.
Having just finished its third season, “Workaholics” is executively produced and written by the show’s creators and stars Blake Anderson, Adam DeVine, Anders Holm and Kyle Newacheck, who also directs most of the show’s episodes. The cast came to UCLA Monday night for a Q-and-A panel, and afterward, Daily Bruin’s Colin Reid spoke with them about eating ceiling tiles, the varying stunts on “Workaholics” and the future of the show.
Daily Bruin: You started out together in the sketch-comedy group Mail Order Comedy back in 2006, where you made short, three-minute YouTube videos. How has your content and group dynamic changed since then?
Kyle Newacheck: It’s a huge change for sure.
Blake Anderson: It’s a budget change. (But) we pretty much have stuck to what we were doing when we started. You know, being comfortable together, and Kyle with the camera doing his wizardry.
Adam DeVine: But now we have enough money to pull off some of the stunts we’ve wanted to do. And even though that’s an ongoing battle, we’ve always wanted to be able to do cooler and bigger things. I’d love to have a “Transformers” budget and just have the biggest and most blowout comedy of all time.
DB: You’re famous creators of a popular comedy television show. Has this always been your dream?
Anders Holm: Yeah, this is the tip of the iceberg really. To have a career kicking it with your homies, that’s something else.
AD: I think that’s why we all click so well is because we all thought it was possible. And it’s working out right now, so hopefully it continues to work out … We want to branch off and do movies, but we love working with each other so much. If we can make movies starring us and just play different characters all the time, (while) coming out with a string of cool comedy movies, that’d be the dream come true.
DB: A lot of your time on the show is spent on the roof of your characters’ house. How difficult is it to get on that roof episode after episode, and how do you usually get up there?
AD: We have a nice ladder now. (In) season one we had this rickety, old, very dangerous (ladder). It was the scariest thing possible. But now we have this staircase that goes up to the roof. But I don’t know why we didn’t spring for a good staircase in season one.
AH: In season four we’re getting jetpacks, one of those water ones. It’s no big deal.
DB: Your characters perform a few stunts on the show, from jumping off a juggalo mobile home to crashing a tricycle full speed. What stunt or scene did you enjoy the most on the show, and do you perform your own stunts?
KN: If they’ll allow it, then the guys will do it, but there are rules in Hollywood where if you’re not trained, it’s a liability.
AH: You don’t want to be stupid either. If someone gets hurt, it shuts down production. And you (also) have a dude who does (stunts) everyday.
AD: But some of the stuff you really want to try. We did an episode called “Man Up” where we go to the wilderness and try to become men. They strapped me to the back of this Ranchero, and I’m strapped in with harnesses on top of it with a crossbow. That was like my ultimate childhood dream come true.
DB: In your first episode, your characters ate ceiling tile. Did you guys actually eat it, and if so, what did it taste like?
AD: We wanted to, so (we said) let’s just do it. But everybody (said) there were microfibers (in it) and it would cut our throat so we would have had to go to the hospital. … So (instead) our roommate … baked a cookie. It was basically like a giant saltine (cracker). It wasn’t delicious, but it looked like a (ceiling tile).
AH: It had the dry properties of what you might imagine a ceiling tile (tastes like).
DB: You act, produce, write and even direct. Which aspect do you enjoy the most?
KN: I like being behind the camera, I will say that. But it’s always fun to go into a scene with these guys.
AD: I probably like acting the best just because that’s what I set out to do. But it is really cool to have an idea in the writer’s room and then (follow) that from a little kernel … and see that blossom into an entire episode. Producing is really cool too because you get to make those final decisions in the edit bay as to what improv you are going to use and what takes you’re going to use.
AH: I like the writing process, especially on our show, because in television you get to stick around and see it be made. And as producers, we get to shape it, whereas when you’re working on someone else’s show, you aren’t really in control.
DB: What are your future plans for the show?
AD: I’m really excited for this season. … Even though the characters are loosely based on ourselves, we’re really dialing into exactly what our characters are, so I think the next few seasons will be our best.
A&E senior staff Colin Reid:“creid@media.ucla.edu” ._