Bert Kreischer leans into ‘shirtless’ schtick in Atlanta-shot Netflix comedy

Bert Kreischer needed to cheer himself up 15 years ago during a stand-up show in Dayton, Ohio, so he took off his shirt as a goof. It killed. So he kept doing it. The shirt-off schtick fueled his fame and became a trademark of his.

Think Gallagher and his watermelon or Carrot Top and his props. In his new Netflix scripted comedy “Free Bert,” which was shot in Atlanta, Kreischer plays a version of himself who wonders if this is necessarily a good thing. (And, yes, the less-than-flattering Gallagher and Carrot Top references are made during the show.)

“You might as well acknowledge it,” said Kreischer in an interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I’m the shirtless guy, and people kind of write me off. I wanted to lean into that. I did something a little avant-garde and different that got me noticed, and it may rub you the wrong way.”

Kreischer said the scripted version of himself is not a far cry from the real deal, similar to Jerry Seinfeld in “Seinfeld” or Larry David in “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”

“The character is 100% me,” he said. “There is no separation between church and state.”

The characters in his scripted family even have the same names as his real family: his wife LeeAnn (Arden Myrin), oldest daughter Georgia (Ava Ryan) and youngest daughter Ila (Lilou Lang).

In Netflix's "Free Bert," Bert Kreischer (with Arden Myrin as his wife LeeAnn) spends a lot of time shirtless, which is on brand. (Courtesy of Netflix)

Myrin’s version of his wife, he said, is very close to the real thing.

“LeeAnn grew up poor and lived in a trailer,” he said. “She will always be poor in her head. The woman still shops at Target for her clothes.”

And his daughters were OK with the fictional portrayals of them, he said.

“The real Georgia is quieter, more internal with her frustration with me,” he said.

Bert Kreischer goofing around with actress Ava Ryan during a break on the set of Netflix's "Free Bert." (Courtesy of Tom Griscom/Netflix)

While there is an episode where Kreischer goes on a guys trip to Atlanta and visits Magic City, most of the series is set in Los Angeles, where his fictional kids struggle to fit in at a new private school. Atlanta, he said, had plenty of spots that aped Los Angeles, even with the relative lack of palm trees.

“I’m a kid of the South,” said Kreischer, a Florida native. “Southern fast food is my thing. Guthrie’s. The Varsity. Zaxby’s. While we shot ‘Free Bert,’ I stayed in the Fourth Ward at the FORTH Hotel. I loved the Beltway. That area was insane. My wife grew up in Georgia. I hope we get a Season 2. We love Atlanta. She said we should buy a house here.”

The only issue production had last summer shooting in Atlanta: cicadas.

“We couldn’t shoot outside at certain hours because the cicadas were everywhere!” he said.

Some of the metro Atlanta locations used in “Free Bert” Season 1 include:

• Bert’s home: Druid Hills neighborhood off North Decatur Road

Netflix's "Free Bert" shot its school scenes at Woodward Academy in College Park. (L to R) Braxton Alexander as Zac Hotchkiss and Ava Ryan as Georgia in episode 105. (Courtesy of Netflix)

• Barklidge Academy, a Beverly Hills private school: Woodward Academy in College Park
• Celebrity bar: Summit at 8 West, Atlanta

Netflix's "Free Bert" shot at Stone Mountain Country Club for golfing scenes. (L to R) Matthew Del Negro as Randy Hotchkiss, Bert Kreischer as Bert Kreischer and Chris Witaske as Landon Vanderthal in Episode 104. (Courtesy of Netflix)

• Golfing: Stone Mountain Country Club
• Stand-up comedy scenes: Punchline Comedy Club, Atlanta

"Free Bert" on Netflix shot at Atlantic Station. (L-R) Arden Myrin as LeeAnn, Ava Ryan as Georgia, Lilou Lang as Ila and Bert Kreischer as Bert in episode 103. (Courtesy of Netflix)

• Mall: Atlantic Station
• Pickleball court: Dill Dinkers Pickleball, West End, Atlanta
• Diner: Khmer Bowl, Forest Park

In "Free Bert" on Netflix at the famous strip club Magic City in Atlanta. (L-R) Chris Witaske as Landon Vanderthal, Matthew Del Negro as Randy Hotchkiss, Bert Kreischer as Bert and Noshir Dalal as Glen Magnussen in episode 105. (Courtesy of Netflix)

• Strip club: Magic City, Atlanta

Rob Lowe plays himself on Netflix's "Free Bert" obsessed with Bert Kreischer taking his shirt off. While most of the series was shot in Atlanta, Lowe shot his scenes in Santa Barbara, California. (Courtesy of John P. Fleenor/Netflix)

The series opens with a Rob Lowe birthday party where Lowe only cares about Kreischer taking his shirt off, not his jokes.

“I’m a kid of the ’80s,” said Kreischer, who is 53. “‘St. Elmo’s Fire’ was my jam. I still say, ‘Let’s rock,’ because Rob Lowe said it in the movie. I’ve known Rob for a while. He’s one of the really great guys in Hollywood. My scene with him was probably my favorite one in the series. I couldn’t believe I was in a scene with Rob Lowe! Shut up! Who’s next? Sean Penn?”

Bert Kreischer goofs around with T-Pain in Netflix's "Free Bert." (Courtesy of Netflix)

Later in the first episode, Kreischer jokes around with Atlanta-based auto-tune artist T-Pain. In real life, they became friends shooting the TBS talent competition show “Go-Big Show” in Macon in 2021 when Kreischer was a host and T-Pain was a judge.

“We’re both similar guys except he’s more brilliant than I am,” Kreischer said. “T-Pain literally asked for nothing to be on the show. He gave us his house for no location fee. He just asked for a day rate. He’s like a brother to me.”

Kreischer, who has six Netflix specials under his belt, takes pride in his stand-up work and is touring while promoting “Free Bert.” He’s coming to Gas South Arena Saturday.

Bert Kreischer in Omaha, Nebraska. (Courtesy of Netflix)

“I’m one of the best storytellers of my generation,” he said. “I’m no Ron White, but I’m a good storyteller. My shirt may be off, but pound for pound, when it comes to what we do for a living, you don’t sell out arenas by accident. It’s not just by taking your shirt off.”

At the same time, “Free Bert” does address his ultimate dilemma.