Jim Carrey’s Kidding has been canceled at Showtime. A lot of fans had come to enjoy the dark comedy featuring the beloved actor. But, Showtime opted not to pursue a third season although the ending to the most recent outing left their options open. Two seasons for a bit of a strange program is nothing to sneeze at, but various commenters online still wanted to see what the cast and crew could do with more time. Using that children’s show conceit to its fullest was one of Kidding‘s strongest points. Puppets, guest stars, and existential dread were all in ready supply over on Showtime. The network put out a statement about how much they enjoyed being a part of the show.
Videos by ComicBook.com
It reads, “After two seasons, Kidding has concluded its run on Showtime. We are very proud to have aired this imaginative, critically acclaimed and rewarding series, and we would like to thank Jim Carrey, Dave Holstein, Michael Aguilar, Michel Gondry and the entire cast and crew for their brilliant and tireless work.”
In a previous interview with IndieWire, Carrey was asked about the tightrope walk inherent in such a program. He seemed to think the show was exploring a natural line of questioning as it pertained to children’s programming. In essence, how do people deal with emotions and is there anything positive that can be gleaned from moments of turmoil.
“I used to do a routine in my act about impulses — about standing on a balcony and saying, ‘I’m this close to the end of my life.’ It’s just a choice. It’s a quick impulse that you don’t stop,” Carrey mentioned. “Jeff is a guy that doesn’t show his feelings. So he remains Mr. Pickles whether he’s giving a child a flower or he’s doing something completely unacceptable. […] It’s an interesting thing: I’ve known so many people, even people that are close to me, [and] everyone around them says, ‘Wow, [that’s] the nicest person in the world,’ And I sit back and go, ‘Yeah, but are they nice, or are they just afraid to be seen as flawed? Are they afraid to be seen as emotional?’ Is it an act of cowardice to be nice sometimes?”
“We try to put as good a face on as as we can, and sometimes we actually experience real unfettered joy,” he observed. “But to try to hold that joy and freeze it in time and have it never be anything else is a lie. It can never happen for anyone. […] Last night, I was sitting outside and I had a tangible feeling of, ‘Man, I’m really satisfied. I feel fantastic right now. I feel joyful.’ But I wasn’t deluding myself into thinking, ‘I’m just going to hang onto this forever.’ Because tomorrow, you get bad news, and you go down that part of the ride. Hopefully you recover from it as quick as you can, but that’s life, you know?”
Did you enjoy Kidding? Let us know in the comments!
