IFC’s hit show “Brockmire,” starring Hank Azaria and Richard Kind, follows the story of a once-famed Major League Baseball announcer who falls from grace — hard. “Brockmire” is dark, hilarious and, most importantly, does not hold back. Kind signed on for the third season as Azaria’s laid-back foil, and he certainly has made an impact on-screen. Kind sat down with Metro to give us the scoop on the third season of the show and his character, and also to explain why “Brockmire” is most certainly not for network TV.
This is your first season of the show. What can you tell me about your character?
He’s very laid-back. I thought it was a very interesting dynamic. Everybody is very aggressive on this show, starting with Brockmire. They are all confrontational, and I’m just water off the duck’s back — very laid-back throughout the whole thing. The first paragraph [of the season premiere’s script] informed me of that. For some reason, and I think this is sort of imposed in the script, Hank was just annoyed by me. They wrote it to be an adversarial character as is every character on “Brockmire,” but I’m annoying because of my attitude. But I’m not so hateful. He probably hates me because I’m a good guy.
I know that you are also friends with Hank Azaria. Were you around when the show was created?
I was around when the character was first thought of. We used to gather as friends around coffee or lunch, and Hank would do the character and we would all join in. Many years later, maybe 10 to 20 years later, somebody said, “You know, this would make a great movie.” And Hank agreed. We couldn’t get it as a movie, but they picked it [up] as a TV show. So I was around for the creation of the character but not for the movie or TV show. I had nothing to do with it. For the third season, I auditioned for the role, and they gave it to me.
This season, “Brockmire” is trying to better himself. How do you think this third season compares to the first two? Can fans still expect the same Brockmire and all of his antics?
I think the tone of the show is as cynical and dark and deeply, sadly funny as the first two seasons. Even though he is sober now, he continues to be a real jerk.
How would you describe the show to someone who has never seen it?
Have you ever seen the cover of “National Lampoon” [magazine] where it has a gun to a dog’s head and it says, “If you don’t buy this magazine, we’ll kill this dog?” It’s a very famous cover, and that describes it all. If you don’t watch this show, we may kill some of the actors. I’m kidding. It’s a dark and cynical and distinctly funny show. Not because it’s politically incorrect, but it’s just not network TV. We pride ourselves on that.
What makes it “not network” in your eyes?
Because some people don’t like the ease of a situational comedy, where the laughs come every three lines and there are laugh tracks. Some people like something different, and I don’t think a character like this would ever make it on network TV. There used to be a show years ago that was quite great and brilliant called “Buffalo Bill,” with Dabney Coleman. It was a very funny show and very dark, but it only lasted one season. That’s what network TV can’t handle. If you look up the show, you will see the type of humor that this was.
So you would put this show in the dark comedy category. Do you think some people might get turned off by that?
Absolutely, we wear that badge with pride. If you watch the first three episodes and it’s not your cup of tea, do not continue. But I encourage you to watch the first couple of episodes, and if you like the tone and you like the comedy, the show just keeps getting better.
