a good times by Kool & the Gang it's a
fitting song for a special guest we have
with us who you can see tonight right
here in Detroit you will recognize him
from the good times he's having on NBC's
the good place Marc Evan Jackson plays
the demon Shawn I love that the demon's
name is Shawn who does everything he can
to take the humans four of them she's a
bad place watch I love Shawn other
demons what are you all doing down here
what do you think we're doing you
hemorrhoid we're ending this charade
once and for all these four humans are
the legal property of the bad place
that's where we're taking them and you
if you want them you're gonna have to go
through me that's the idea well it's a
bad idea
Michael when will you ever well yeah
true enough mark Evan Jackson was
sitting here remembering his lines from
that episode it gets ingrained you shoot
more than one take so yes you you 100%
they get they earworm and you're in your
skull and they're there forever it
hasn't been that long since you were
here last you were here in the spring
that's last year yeah we had a good time
the good place just had its third season
finale last night yeah I want to get too
much into the whole spoilers but I think
I did see something on BuzzFeed or Daily
Beast about one of those that Kristen
Bell knows how the show is gonna turn
out
do you I don't know and I could not be
trusted with that information that would
be a mistake I already am in possession
of things you know weeks and months
early and that's too much pressure when
did you discover that you had the movie
trailer voice thing going on there where
you can drop it an octave and be like
this fall on NBC
sadly long after I worked for National
Public Radio affiliates in West Michigan
at Grand Valley State University
years after that did I discover that
this was somehow in there
do you ever practice that or I mean when
you're doing improv with your buddies
like Paula Thompkins I mean it does come
up and thankfully it's it's been another
you know segment of my my career in
Hollywood for sure to be able to speak
this way but it's it's something that I
like to
wield as a weapon and sometimes when I'm
recording they did place the podcast as
my vocal warmup I will just for fun go
gravitas aggravate Oz just for me he's
just live in the D
live in the D Oh see that's gravitas
right so this show the good place
you know season three I mean that came
out of not necessarily nowhere but was
reviewed very well right out of the gate
critics loved it and audience found it
what do you think the secret is to its
success not just the humor but sort of
the underlying themes well it's some of
the smartest writers and producers in
Hollywood it's Mike Schur who created he
brought the the office from Britain and
then he created Parks and Recreation and
Brooklyn nine-nine and now the good
place it's a delightful cast to head it
up by Ted Danson and Kristen Bell who's
from Huntington Woods right here yeah
there's actually a lot of Detroit
connections in the good place Marybeth
Monroe who plays Mindy Sinclair is from
Frasier
Eugene Cordero is from Pontianak he
plays pill boy Paul gee I lived in what
we used to call the cast corridor
Midtown now and make sure the creator of
the show was born in Ann Arbor but it's
the smartest dumbest show on television
it's um it's a show that deals with high
level philosophy and in the same
sentence sometimes bodily functions like
it's the silliest smartest show on
television well silly and smart I could
be said of another show a little
something something called Brooklyn
nine-nine they've heard of NBC rescued
off the scrap heap it's wisely so no
immediately that was a dicey 27 hours
after Fox cancelled it but NBC picked it
up and we're thrilled and on that show I
play Kevin Costner I play Captain Holt's
husband I could do the lines for the
scene right here too if you'd like
right there he says yes the Punic Wars
the sexy the pubic wars the sexiest of
all worse I mean you have to crack up on
set sometimes a blow takes for sure
yeah I'm relatively good because I come
from an improv background and that is
good training in that but yes of course
when you're working with Andy Samberg
and Ted Danson and Terry Crews who's
unbelievably strong you definitely you
you get put through the wringer and
trying not to break yeah and with the
podcast
do you ever improv on that or is that
just not the medium for it I mean we
definitely do bits and things but it's
that's more of a legit interview in
addition to being playing Sean on NBC
it's a good place I'm an enormous fan of
the show like I love to share with other
fans the backstage behind-the-scenes
things that I know about but also to to
ask questions and as a fan boy myself
and get to the bottom of some of my own
theories the aforementioned Paul
Tompkins you're with him tonight show at
the Fillmore but what about this Detroit
creativity project sure so I doesn't and
dozens of Detroit expatriates in Los
Angeles writers directors musicians
stage managers actors of course
comedians and we got together in
2011-2012 and said what should we be
doing to help back home what should we
do we be doing to help with Detroit's
Renaissance and it became clear
immediately after a couple of dinner
parties at our house that that it was
clear that we should be sharing
something that was meaningful to all of
us which is improvisation improvisation
to be in theater or film or television
or comedy it's great for everybody
because it's so confidence-building so
we created the Detroit creativity
project and we partner with why arts
Detroit to bring Improv programs free of
charge to Detroit middle and high
schools and it has improved test scores
it's reduced social anxiety and social
phobia it's improved attendance it's
pretty great if you're playing yes and
and not know but it's true you're gonna
build friendships and camaraderie oh yes
I am it teaches you to listen it teaches
you to react it teaches you to honor two
other ideas and and to know that you
have to show up with information and
energy and be a part of the conversation
you see Kristen Bell back here you
mentioned her in some woods okay the
first thing that comes to your mind when
you see Kristen Bell on a monitor like
that joy okay he's a pure delight oh one
more dancers keegan-michael key from
Detroit Infinite Terry Crews from Flint
just talked to him the other day oh did
you really I love that guy strength Ted
Danson
buddy buddy yeah he's my buddy he caught
me twice the other day
he's your nemesis on the show oh that's
fake that's a television
Audrey Brauer delightful Jordan Peele
Oh also infinite samuel l.jackson I
don't know if I'm allowed to say badass
so if I'm not now you just did and Paul
F Thompkins Oh hilarious hilarious
imagine going to a dinner party I mean
what's that like when a bunch of funny
people get together because I know it
like radio morning radio conventions
everybody's on and trying out on each
other kind of thing what you're
describing sounds terrible people that
do it for a living no to keep their
powder dry and to put it away and just
be humans and so it's rare that someone
holds court and it's doing material that
would be a big no huge breach of trust
yeah all right it says here on my blue
card for Jackson and mr. Tompkins two
gentlemen improv show tonight at the
Fillmore at 7:00 o'clock I'm sure it
will bring the house down it'll be so
much fun we did it once before in
Toronto a couple of months ago it's two
dudes in tuxes taking audience
suggestions and improvising based on it
and it could not be more fun there are
still a few tickets available so check
it out also we're offering two
furloughed federal workers and federal
contractors that if you show up with
your federal ID or show up with proof
that you are a federal contractor we
will you you and a guest are welcome for
free this evening that's very nice of
you I'm gonna see you again Jason