Despite the success of Will & Grace, creators Max Mutchnick and David Kohan want to keep their new show Mid-Century Modern separate for a surprising reason.
The creators of Will & Grace think a cast crossover on their new show, Mid-Century Modern, would be too much of a “gimmick.”
Max Mutchnick and David Kohan sat down with TooFab ahead of the show’s premiere and slashed any hopes and dreams of the cast of their previous show appearing on the new Hulu series.
“There probably isn’t,” Mutchnick said, after being asked whether there was a “chance” of a crossover.
“I mean, is it conceivable that somebody from that cast could be on this, if they are right for the part? What we want to avoid is the gimmick of…” Kohan added, before Mutchnick finished his sentence with, “Will showing up to go on a date with Bunny.”
“It’s winking at the audience. It’s breaking the fourth wall. And for us, it would be a little embarrassing for us, it would be a little too selfish,” Mutchnick continued.
“It would be a little self-serving,” Kohan shared.
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The multi-camera sitcom follows Bunny (Nathan Lane), who leads a trio of three gay friends who all move in together after the death of their fourth bestie. Jerry (Matthew Bomer) and Arthur (Nathan Lee Graham) join Bunny in the house also occupied by Bunny’s mother, Sybil (the late Linda Lavin), to help him deal with his loneliness.
Along the way, big name guest stars drop by Palm Springs, including Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Kimberly Coles. And while they want to keep the cast of the beloved Will & Grace sitcom out of their Mid-Century Modern “cubby house,” they do have some stars in mind for future possible seasons.
“I wish I was ready for that,” Mutchnick said. “I have one and I don’t want to say but I will say this: I am very excited about the possibility of writing Jerry’s family. Writing Jerry’s Mormon mother and his brothers and sisters and really the same goes for Arthur’s family. I’m excited to write those characters if we get the chance.”
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When it comes to making a hit sitcom, the television creators don’t have a secret method, explaining that cast is key.
“It really requires a cast that encompasses a lot of things. And we have it in Nathan and Nathan Lee and Matt Bomer. And we had it in Linda Lavin,” said Mutchnick.
Unfortunately, 87-year-old Lavin passed away three-quarters through filming Season 1 from lung cancer. However, having their show be the last of her acting credits holds a special place in their hearts.
“She always said that this was a great experience for her,” Kohan said. “And I believe her. I believe her. She was an honest soul. And that is very gratifying to me. I’m very grateful that I got to know her because she’s a remarkable person. She was so beloved on that stage, but I’m talking about like every crew person to every writer. She was beloved she was the soul of the place.”
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Should Mid-Century Modern get picked up for future seasons, Mutchnick admitted the late Lavin will be a big part of the reason.
“And if this show is a hit, Linda will have been a big reason why because she set a tone from day one that we still we held to and stuck by until the very end,” he told TooFab.
Watch more of our interview with Kohan & Mutchnick above, as they detail how the actors worked with director Jim Burrows and how collaborative things were on set.
Mid-Century Modern drops all 10 episodes on Friday, March 28th on Hulu.
