Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim have specialized in awkward, low-budget, warped humor that rarely flatters them or those around them.
In other words, they have become a perfect franchise for Atlanta-based Adult Swim.(Take that ABC and Shonda Rhimes!)
For the past decade, the dynamic duo have given the network four shows.The first one "Tom Goes the Mayor" (2004-2006) was a semi-animated series that ran for 30 episodes. One of Adult Swim's first non-animated series "Tim & Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!" (2007-2010) hit it bigger, lasting five seasons and 50 episodes. It was sort of a sketch show with deliberately cheesy graphics and acting and featured plenty of cameos by famous friends such as Will Ferrell, Zach Galifianakis, John C. Reilly and David Cross. This led to a John C. Reilly spin-off called "Check It Out! With Steve Brule," (2010-2014) about a strange, clueless doctor.
Now the odd couple have embarked on a new effort called "Tim & Eric's Bedtime Stories," debuting at 12:15 a.m. Thursday night, Sept. 18. This is their most conventional series to date in terms of coherent storytelling, but that doesn't make it any less bizarre. It has elements of past anthology shows such as "Tales of the Crypt" and "The Twilight Zone," with that special dark, absurdist Tim & Eric twist in each episode.
In the first episode, Tim plays a psychotic neighbor of a cul-de-sac who takes offense when the newbie played by Eric blows him off after he invited him to hang with the guys. It doesn't end well for Eric, of course.
The other one I sampled features Bob Odenkirk ("Breaking Bad") plays a doctor who cuts off patient's toes in a play off plastic surgery run amok. It should make you quite hungry by the end of the episode.
And if you want to meet the long-time friends live and on stage, they will be at the Variety Playhouse for two shows Saturday, Sept. 20, with John C. Reilly as Dr. Steve Brule, too. (Tickets are sold out but a few are available starting at $71.58 on Stubhub.)
"We'll do different characters from the show," said Wareheim in a recent phone interview. "There's going to be audience interaction. It's a very experimental comedy experience. You can't even call it a show. It's a very anti-standard stand-up scenario." After an intermission. Reilly will come out as Brule and sing songs, mispronounce words and be goofy. In between costume changes, he said, "we show an episode of 'Bedtime Stories' to get that hyped."
He said Adult Swim wanted more "Awesome Show" episodes but "we constantly want to change up what we're doing. We get bored. We wanted to do something that looks more cinematic, that feels conventional on the surface but then gets twisted and dark, that truly shocks and makes you think about the universe."
For instance, Eric's nutty neighbor character takes a bat and knocks out Tim's windshield. But it doesn't break immediately. It takes awhile and by the time, he finishes hitting it, all the tension is gone from the scene and it feels humorously anti-climactic. Even better, "we didn't even mean to do that," Wareheim admitted. "We had no idea how the windshield would bust. It kept getting funnier because it wouldn't completely break. It became a joke."
He says in this day and age of YouTube, finding a way to truly shock an audience is more and more difficult. But that hasn't stopped them from trying. Ironically, Wareheim hates blood, vomit and gore. "It makes me really queasy on screen. But I don't mind doing it if I'm in charge of it. I've seen 'The Knick.' I literally stopped watching because it was so grotesque. Same with 'American Horror Story.' I can't believe I'm such a p*ssy. I can't watch that!"
Wareheim said the two I watched were even darker than most. They did one with Galifianakis set in a public men's bathroom that was more "Three Stooges," he said.
And the budgets are bigger now, thanks to the fact they have a good track record and Adult Swim is swimming in more cash than ever thanks to strong ratings. "We had this computerized animated camera that can move overhead and spin," he said, which sure beat the cheap green screening they did on "Awesome Show."
In the cul-de-sac episode called "Holes," Wareheim acts normal, which is abnormal. "It was hard because my natural instinct is to be silly," he said. "I had to tone it down. It's more powerful that way."
The show will run for eight episodes. How many more will they do? Who knows?
"We're really just very selfish making stuff we want to make until people stop giving us money," he said.
But as long as Adult Swim maestro Mike Lazzo is around, they will likely have a job. "If he gets hit by a truck," Wareheim cracks, "we're done! We'll have to start making sitcoms for NBC!"
TV preview
"Tim & Eric's Bedtime Stories," 12:15 a.m., Thursday nights, starting Sept. 18, Adult Swim
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