Original subtitles

The history of baseball is filled with so many myths and legends that sometimes

you wonder what the real stories are.

Of course, sometimes a simple story can take on a life of its own.

And action.

Hey! I wanted to do a show about a woman who was more like me.

I felt really alienated by a lot of the women that were on television. I just

felt like I couldn't relate.

And I wanted to do a show about a woman who liked sports and played poker.

Had guy friends and drank beer and was sort of, in a way, the anti -sex in the

city.

Betsy hosts a poker game every week in her house, so obviously that's, you

a lot in her life.

Betsy Thomas is a very close friend of mine, and I've been playing in a poker

game in her house for, I think we're going on about eight years now.

The first time I remember hearing about the show was hearing sort of the idea

about it when she was sort of talking about it at the poker table. Part of the

staff now are Betsy's like close friends, some of whom have characters in

show that are based on them. And it's so cool that we're half the time sort of

telling like these real stories that...

happened to betsy and all of her friends you're always looking for a distinctive

perspective and i think that i thought this was you know a very relatable

universal point of view that sort of wasn't out there everybody had the same

note is that when we all read it we all knew this was the project that we wanted

to do which is very rare because usually you're kind of juggling oh i like this

one but this one's maybe a little more commercial or something and everybody

on the same page like my voice is what i want to be doing it's not the money or

the contractual obligations a lot of times We didn't shoot for like eight

months, and I just hung out here, back behind the bar.

I made kind of like this makeshift hand motion.

So are you good? I haven't played much since college.

Oh, so like last year?

She's funny. You didn't tell me she was funny.

Georgiana is awesome. You're not going to find a better actress to work with

than Georgiana Spiro.

She's got it tough in this job.

She's literally got to play one of the guys.

And in the first week of the pilot, we were all so impressed. I imagine it

have to be daunting to be the only...

woman to sort of fit right in and within like 24 hours she was just she was

picking up our cues and she just we had off this banter already pj is very sure

of herself except for the ways that she's not she lives in a man's world

very comfortably and partly because she doesn't think of it as one i got to um

shadow some sports writers which was really really fun and i spoke to a lot

sports writers on the phone and spent a lot of time in sports bars tough

homework it's really tough

Being one of the guys and sort of being a guy in many ways, but at the same time

maintaining that girly quality, it's a weird balance, and I just think that she

pulls it off so well. Okay, you guys, look, I'm not going to judge, and

secondly, I understand you guys, and I understand women.

Kind of, dude. She's such the everyday girl that's not really shown on TV.

not the hair -blown, you know, extra -accessorized female. She is real, and I

think women have needed to see that image for so long.

Most of the experiences on the show come from her real life, and all of the

friends on the show are essentially friends of hers.

do sit around every Thursday night at her poker table.

And so I watch Betsy a lot on set and see how she handles situations and try

kind of incorporate them.

Jordana, as an actor, it's just really apparent that she very much cares about

what this character's journey is, you know, what's happening in the moment,

does PJ want, what's her obstacle.

I think with each episode, I'm learning more about the character and how she's

kind of growing up.

That's what's exciting about her is that... She's still evolving as a

She's not some kind of finite, concrete character.

And all of our characters like that, and we're taking them in new directions.

That's what I really find exciting, and I think the actors do too.

Booty calls are not worth it.

The one thing you learn as you get older.

That's the one thing.

I play Mike Callahan, and he's the misunderstood one. I would

say I'm probably the alpha male.

The redheaded, fiery jackass who's always pushing and fighting and thinks

right, but typically ends up learning a life lesson. There's a lot of life

lessons learned in this show by me.

Mike is based on a friend of mine who is just your classic guy's guy. I mean,

he's got a recliner and a TV.

You know, he owns no dishes. He's not evolved in any way to, like, have a

complex relationship with women. He's still trying to date the hot

He is the character that has absolutely no filter. He thinks something and it

just comes tumbling right out of his mouth. So he's really tactless, really

entertaining at the same time.

And Jamie, he's pretty similar to that. When I read it, I was like, oh, my God,

this character's me.

And it's kind of weird how casting goes because you really do get cast for who

you are. Jamie always brings it, always brings energy, always commits.

Table reads, rehearsal, he never phones it in.

You could hit Jamie Kaler like a feeder bar of caffeine.

Like he was always, you know, up and on and ready to go.

Um, it's not a mime club. Which one are you, Crockett or Tubbs? Well played.

Mike and Kenny to each other are checks and balances.

Kenny is...

A perfect foil for Mike because Kenny is so sensitive.

Having coffee with this girl I've been seeing, Jennifer.

Coffee, wow. Haven't we been through this? Coffee is how I get to know a

Is never going to sleep with you. He's got more of the stereotypical, like the

way a female is being portrayed of those needs.

He's kind of like a little bit of like a puppy dog, you know?

He's really sweet. He's got a little bit of a Charlie Brown aspect to him, you

know? Mike Bunin, who plays Kenny, is a friend of mine, and I based Kenny on

him. And almost never just the guy. I mean, it never happens. You never get

role that somebody based on you. Now people are starting to sort of mention

And if anybody wants to take the time to say anything about the show, it's nice

of them to do that. So you want to hear what they have to say.

A lot of times it's funny because a lot of times they talk to you as if you're

completely the character. And in my case, I know I'm based on a little bit,

sometimes I want to be like, hey, I'm not that shy. I do talk to some girls.

just talked, I swear.

Little cut. Betsy initially wanted me to read the Bobby character, not the

Brendan character.

And as I was reading, I was like, you know what? This Brendan character is

standing out to me so much more.

When I was about to go in, I asked, do you mind if I read Brendan? And she's

like, sure. And actually, Brendan is based on one of Betsy's real -life best

friends, who's a writer on the show, Brendan Smith. Now everyone sort of

me and Brendan Smith that we walk alike and we have the same, you know, hand

mannerisms and stuff like that. The jumping -off point was my friend Brendan

always been sort of a serial monogamist, and I think that that's where Brendan

the character also is. You know, Brendan's a really handsome guy, and

think, like, he'd be a dog, and he's not.

He loves long -term relationships and kind of gets jerked around within them.

He's so handsome that, you know, normally you get a handsome guy in the

you take the character actors like me or Jim or something and, like, you know,

people forget about it. I'm telling you, he's so handsome, we might actually get

a little bit better looking just by standing close to him. I'd say I'm in

with him.

You know, not because he's a good kisser.

A lot of the girls come up to me and they say, oh, are you the girl on My

I say, yeah. They say...

Oh, yeah, it's a really nice show. I like it a lot. And they kind of give me

this small talk, and I can tell they're getting to a question. And the question

they're getting to is, so the guy that plays your roommate, what's he like?

That's all they want to know.

My God, why is it that every time I talk to you, I feel like a chick?

In a way, Bobby was written in the pilot as sort of the leading man guy.

And I just, like, sort of get freaked out by that because I don't think I'm

guy. But Jordana and I ended up just totally having chemistry, and it went

really well. And then Betsy actually just really told me on the whole idea.

Bobby is so much more together than I think the world is ready for.

There's little things about Bobby that emerge because Bobby actually has so

going on. Like, he's incredibly smart. He's done a lot and seen a lot. And I

think he has a lot to offer. But I think he keeps all that a little bit of a

secret, you know, so he can fit in with everybody.

Kyle, not a sweeter kid out there, I'm telling you. He's Mr.

Yeah, I got up today and...

Just grabbed my guitar and my surfboard and went to the beach.

Yeah, I mean, that's it. He's so easygoing.

Kyle is such a great quality person. And then in addition, he's just so solid.

If Kyle reads something that's not funny, you know you have to change the

It's not performance.

I'm going to stop bullet train to Suburban now.

From here on in, my life will only involve Naperville and stay -at -home

alcohol. Give me. I got a phone call.

And they said that there might be an offer coming in for this show called My

Boys. And I thought, who's going to do a show about genitalia?

Jim's brain never stops working. He's always trying to make it funnier. He's

always trying to make it better.

Betsy came in and... told all of us, oh, we got Jim Gaffigan, he's going to play

Andy. And everybody's like, oh, that's great.

That's so awesome. And I was like, who's Jim Gaffigan?

And then I saw some of his stand -up, and I was just like, oh, my God, this

guy's genius.

I've played a lot of nerds and dumb people, and Andy's a nerdy, dumb

guy. No, and Andy's far more sardonic and sarcastic as opposed to purely being

the victim.

He has this wife, this ogre wife that he gets to blame. It's always off camera.

And, you know, it's so common. Oh, I love to be, you know, the boss. He's not

good. Like how many guys I know that do that constantly. And most of the time

it's crap.

He's the one out of everybody like we'll break and we'll have moments. But he's

the one that if I'm in a scene with him and he starts to get the giggles or

something.

I don't know what he will make me laugh every time. I have the most trouble

holding it in when it's just he and I doing a scene and he starts to goof

around. A lot of guys come up and say, oh, you know that Jim Gaffigan, he's a

really, really funny guy.

And I say, yeah, of course.

And they say, so are you going to sleep with him?

And I'm like, well,

he's my brother.

I'm thinking about getting hair extensions.

Well, that was kind of what we were just talking about.

I play Stephanie Lane. I have a more feminine view on life and relationships

things like that than PJ does. Some would say that Stephanie is the opposite

what PJ is, but they both need each other because she grounds me and I curl

hair.

developed her as a character. She was a girly girl. You know, she was the

opposite. You know, it's the classic television convention.

And then we cast Calais, and Calais I love so much as a person.

She's so much more interesting than that that I definitely have been trying to

steer Stephanie more towards, you know, who Calais is as a person. My character

tends to brush things off too quickly, and she's the one that's like, wait a

second, you did what? You know, and makes me kind of face.

some emotional stuff that I kind of maybe try to wiggle my way out of. Kalei

cast the day we were doing kind of a big read -through.

So they cast her. She walked in, and we all met.

And my first line was, Hi, Mike. Hi, Kenny.

And this was the first line in the pilot.

So for whatever reason, I just decided that I did not like Kenny, played by

Michael Bunin.

And so I delivered the line, hi, Mike. And then I'm like, hi, Kenny.

And without missing a beat, I just went, mm -hmm. And it just got a big laugh.

And you looked out and you saw every writer writing it down. Hi, Mike.

Hello, Stephanie.

Hi, Kenny.

Hello, Stephanie. I knew I was going to like her instantly when she made that

choice. And I just jumped in. And again, it was like, oh, I think I've been

acting with her for years.

Right from minute one, everyone said.

The best thing about the show was the chemistry, and it was weird right from

first take, from the first table read. We were messing with each other, and it

was a very natural friendship immediately.

When we did the pilot, the cast had such amazing chemistry, and everybody got

along so well, and everybody had so much fun, and the crew and the cast, and

everything just really worked, that it was one of those, like...

Oh, we don't want this to end. This happens so rarely that something, you

that kind of chemistry and that kind of opportunity.

So we were really excited.

It is very much a family.

We do spend a lot of time together, but we actually spend the time together, not

just in front of the camera.

We're off goofing around.

I have like five big brothers now. Well, some of them are younger than me, but

I'm not going to say who. There's rivalries, feuds, occasionally jousting.

which is very awkward because then we have to bring horses in.

Get naked for your pictures.

Jamie and Mike Bunin, they both are really talented improv guys. They'll go

day if you let them. There is some improv, and that's a real compliment to

Betsy. Hold on a second. That is a real compliment to Betsy where that element

is free, and I think it gives it a lot of life.

I love the chicken.

The guys who've done stand -up like Gaffigan and Mike Bunin and Kaler,

times where you want to let them go because you get some really good stuff.

Hey, what do you guys think would be the worst way to die?

I'm going to say being hit in the balls with lightning.

Mike Bunin always gives you reactions, and his reactions are so much funnier

sometimes than the lines, and he's learned to do it in a way that really

created a whole character.

You know, he's really, it's become part of his character, this whole reaction

guy. And I just love it. The greatest facial expressions. I mean, it's so

subtle. He's going to be one of those guys, you know, once people start

watching the DVDs, they're going to start picking out the little things that

Bunin's doing, that the camera cuts through real quick. He's got some great

expression on his face.

You like to be with people, and I think that...

What makes the people tune into everything?

You know, because it is an intimate relationship. They're in your living

or your bedroom, or wherever you watch TV.

You have to want these people around, and I think that you do want to be with

these people.

A lot of the reason that the show has done well, because I think there's a lot

of girls out there, like PJ, that are watching the show because that's what

relate to.

Everybody that I talk to, men and women, both love it. And what I like so much

is that the guys like it, because you don't really see so many...

Audience members that are guys coming up to you going, man, I love your show. I

feel like they have something to relate to because they have five guys and they

can find themselves in one of them. Everybody sort of says something along

same lines of, you know, that's how I am with my group of friends. Or my

friends, we pick on each other all the time like that. And that makes me feel

good because that hopefully means we're doing something right.

They'll be in a diner at 9 in the morning just reading the paper and

up and go, my boys, and they'll take pictures. It's so much fun.

You're like, yeah!

I got so much joy out of the shows that I watched growing up that helped sort of

make me who I am, that it makes me happy when people like the show because I

feel like I'm able to give a little something back.

You can't plan chemistry. It just happens. It's that trust, that great

that electricity that makes for a championship team or for great friends

you know no matter what will be on your team forever.