Reid Scott Talks About the Return of 'My Boys'

When TBS' My Boys finished the first part of its freshman season this past winter, things were up in the air for PJ (Jordana Spiro) and her best buddies. The Chicago sports writer was hitting home runs writing about the beloved Cubs, but striking out when it came to her love life. Perhaps the biggest potential mistake was the kiss she shared with her best friend Brendan (Reid Scott). Monday night, the show begins the second half of its successful freshman season and Pass the Remote had an opportunity to speak with star Reid Scott via email (thanks to the good folks at Sony Pictures Television, which co-produces the comedy) about the show's winning formula, what the second half holds, and the future of Brendan and PJ. PTR presents... 5 Questions with Reid Scott.

PTR: My Boys is one of those sitcoms where, as a viewer, you can sit down and laugh for the entire half-hour. Why do you think it works so well?

SCOTT: I think it works so well because the characters are so real. As an audience member I think you can identify so closely with these characters that it's almost like laughing along with your own buddies, and yourself.

PTR: A lot of viewers want to see Brendan and PJ together. How do you feel about them as a romantic couple?

SCOTT: Yeah, I've heard that a lot, that's cool. I think Brendan and PJ are those singular kind of friends that have such chemistry it just makes sense. As far as romance goes, you'll just have to watch and see.

PTR: Do you guys get to travel to Chicago to shoot on location, or is the show shot entirely in Hollywood?

SCOTT: We shoot mainly in LA although we've actually been lucky enough to shoot some in Chicago both seasons. We were there in the middle of June this time around and had a blast. That is one fun town.

PTR: You've done some guest spots/recurring roles on network television, but My Boys is on cable. Lately, it seems that a lot of the edgier, more character-focused series are popping up on the latter. As an actor, do you see a difference between the work on network and cable? Is there more artistic freedom with either?

SCOTT: I think that the edgier stuff is ending up on cable mostly because cable is in the position to take the chances. TBS for example is trying to build an audience. When you're trying to do that you don't want to serve up the same old stuff that the networks are dishing out, you need to mix it up a little. And in turn, it seems the networks are following cable's lead and turning up their own edge dial a bit. And yeah, there is a bit more artistic freedom on cable right now. You don't have so many cooks in the kitchen, so to speak. When there are a lot fewer execs looking over your shoulder you really get to play more. That's what we as a cast all love about My Boys. We've got a great staff of writers, we get top notch directors and guest stars, our producers are all genius...we take our work seriously but when we all get together it's play time.

PTR: And finally, what sort of changes are in store for your character this season (that you can share)? What can we expect overall for the series this season?

SCOTT: This season all the characters are really opened up. We get to see sides of everyone that we didn't see last time. As for Brendan, without giving too much away, let's just say he really gets to explore his darker side. Some funny stuff...

My Boys kicks off the second half of its first season this Monday night on TBS (10 p.m.) with back-to-back episodes. Look for special guest star Nicole Sullivan (King of Queens, Scrubs) in a role that TV Guide raves in the July 30th issue, "Cheers to Nicole Sullivan for shooting a hysterical guest arc on My Boys while she was pregnant." You can catch up on the episodes you missed at tbs.com or catch the marathon this Sunday beginning at 10 am on TBS.