Catherine Keener has been cast in the upcoming Jim Carrey Showtime series Kidding. Carrey will star as Jeff, aka Mr. Pickles, an icon of children’s television, a beacon of kindness and wisdom to America’s impressionable young minds and the parents who grew up with him, who also anchors a multimillion dollar branding empire.
Keener will play Deirdre, who thanklessly builds all the puppets on the hit children’s show hosted by Jeff while never being allowed to voice them. She struggles to take the simple lessons preached by Jeff and apply them to the darker complications of actual parenting.
In addition to Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actress for her performances in Being John Malkovich and Capote, Keener received an Emmy and Golden Globe nomination for her lead role in An American Crime.
Kidding marks Carrey’s first series regular role since his time on In Living Color in the early 90’s. It also reunites him with Oscar winner Michel Gondry from “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” who will direct the project.
With a 10-episode first-season order, Carrey will executive produce with Gondry, Jason Bateman, Jim Garavente, Raffi Adlan, and Michael Aguilar. It was created by Dave Holstein, who wrote the pilot and will serve as showrunner.
