The Detour makes its long-awaited return to television on June 18. The cornerstone original sitcom of TBS’ comedy line-up has gained a strong following as the misadventures of The Parker Family has captured the hearts and funny bones of people everywhere.
One of the main reasons for the show’s success (and hilarity) is Jason Jones. Most know Jason Jones as the goofy yet lovable dad Nate Parker Jr. However, Jones wears many hats on the series besides acting — he co-created the series with his wife Samantha Bee, plus he is an executive producer, writer, and occasional director of the series.
I was absolutely honored to chat and share a few laughs with Jason Jones. The man of many hats, (usually a Syracuse one) took a few minutes to answer some questions about the cast, stunts, heart, and even gives a small glimpse into Season 4 of The Detour.
Hey Jason, how are you man?
I’m good I’m good.
Thanks so much for coming on for a few minutes. I really appreciate it.
Yeah, no problem. Thank you for the article you’ve already written. Appreciate it.
I wanted to talk a little bit about you and Natalie Zea [who plays Nate’s wife Robin]. Your chemistry is amazing. Obviously, most shows have the couples you root for — Jim and Pam, Ross and Rachel, etc. But those are couples that you’re rooting for before they get married. Yet your characters are already married … well, technically not married, but you’re just a couple that I always find myself rooting for even though you’ve been together for so long. How do you guys make that work?
You know it’s a combination of good writing and the two of us kind of liking each other. We enjoy performing with each other and I think that translates. It was always sort of based on my wife [Samantha Bee] and I’s relationship. I don’t think we argue as much as Robin and Nate do, but just the idea that we really like one another and like spending time with one another. We call each other names, but at the end of the day it doesn’t really matter, because love sort of conquers all. That was always the number one goal of this show. To create a couple that people like and enjoy watching. I think we’ve done it. According to you we have!
Ashley Gerasimovich and Liam Carroll who play your kids, Delilah and Jared, are fantastic as well. So I was absolutely floored by the double twist ending of Season 3, particularly when it came to Delilah running away. After going throughout the first three seasons on the run from USPIS, what can we expect here after that big season finale? Is it kind of the search for Delilah?
Yeah you basically summed it up. It is literally the search for Delilah. We’re always thinking of ways to keep this family on their heels. I think that’s where a lot of the comedy [in this show] comes from — when you’re off balance. I think there’s nothing more off balance than when you take away a vital cog out of that family mechanism. I think that’s basically it. How do these three function without that fourth pillar? And they’re desperately trying to get her back.
I’m already getting the feels just talking about it. I also love the over the top comedy on this show, but then out of nowhere you get these really serious scenes such as the results of the paternity test or Delilah running away. It just floors you. There’s really just a ton of heart in this show. How do you guys find that balance?
I think that speaks again, to how I want to keep the family sort of off balance. I [also] want to keep the audience off balance as well. When you get into a predictable rhythm, you’re not gonna find things as funny or endearing. So it’s the surprise at any given moment that we can twist into a comedic moment or an emotional moment. Again, it’s the building blocks.
I think why the end of Season 3 hit so hard, because we spent three seasons building toward that. Of this young girl blossoming into a woman, who’s basically thinking I can do this better by myself. It really was the payoff after three seasons.
Going back to the comedy aspect, there’s always one spot in every episode, where my hands over my mouth, or I’m crying laughing. Whether it’s vomit, blood, or an insane explosion, my wife is just looking at me like I’m completely ridiculous. What’s it like doing some of those gags for you or some of those stunts?
It’s always a highlight of my career. It really is. I love swinging for the fences. I love doing big gags. They don’t always resonate with every person that watches television, but we like to tap into a lot of people who like to just laugh. I find that’s a little lacking a lot in TV comedies these days, just those big laughs. So we like to go for those and they’re so much fun.
I think you saw in part of the trailer, but this season I spent the good part of three or four days falling down a mountain. It was the greatest four days, man. We choppered into a glacier every single day [to the set location in] Canada. The whole crew, like a hundred people getting choppered up on a hill, on a glacier and then choppering back at night. It was awesome.
Not to be cliche, but I gotta ask how much of Nate Parker is really you?
(Laughs) There’s a lot him in me. I think a little more than Nate does. He may be a little too impulsive. He jumps and starts swinging before he knows the full context. I think I’m maybe a little more well read then Nate. Maybe … a little bit. (laughs) It takes somewhat of a smart person, to create a dumb character. Not that he’s dumb, but he’s certainly got his shortcomings.
But as far as how much he loves his family, it’s 100 percent me. That’s always what it comes back to. When anyone pitches a mean joke against the family, I’m always the first one to shoot it down. It just doesn’t really feel right coming out of me or the character.
Going into Season Four we have a lot of these subplots. Not to give too much away, but will we see some of these subplots and characters carry over? Obviously we have Edie pregnant with Nate’s child. Will we see some returns from JR (James Cromwell) or Nate’s mom? What can you tell us?
I can give you a couple things. You will see the return of J.R. He is coming back. Nate’s mom is in it more than she’s ever been. Samantha (Bee) plays my mom in the flashbacks, but a wonderful actress, Rebecca Koon plays the character in the present. She does such an incredible job, I had to have more of her this season.
Edie is a different story. I had fully planned on a nice subplot with her. Unfortunately, “Edie” (Laura Benanti) and I put that in quotes, has decided to go play My Fair Lady on Broadway. She wasn’t available. I have a little tease at the end of this season that hopefully will springboard into a Season 5. There’s a lot happening and hopefully we will see a return of Edie if she’s not to busy on Broadway.
You kind of touched on this a little bit and maybe I’m a little early on this one. I remember, a little time had passed after season three ended and you sent kind of a cryptic tweet. Something about how you loved working on The Detour. My wife and I are sitting here going, no!! After that season three ending we need this season four! So thank you for that first of all! Is a Season Five hopefully in the works and/or what are your hopes for this show? Are we thinking ten seasons? What’s the dream here?
A lot of people ask me that, and my answer is always the same. I’ll keep doing this until they tell me no more. I don’t think anyone watching this season will go, ‘Oh, they’re really slowing down.’ I think this may be our funniest season we’ve ever done, which I think is saying a lot. Just pound for pound we got so many great funny things that happen this season.
Considering they really wanted us to simplify the story, the feedback was that some viewers were getting lost in the story. Normally, I would say, “Go Fuck Yourself.” You know, keep up, Watch it again. (laughs) But I actually took their advice this season, and I did a get a little simpler in the actual storytelling. They are looking for their daughter. It couldn’t be any simpler than that. It can still be a little complex, but there’s one main objective.
But to answer you question, I have so much fun doing it. I don’t think the show is slowing down in any way. I’ll keep doing it as long at they want me to do it. It could be five seasons, it could be ten. I could see us going ten. I got a really nice story already arced out for Season 5. The ending of Season 5 could be a serious ending or it could be something completely different. I like to keep things a little mysterious.
It’s gonna be hard to top that Season 3 ending! Hey, Jason thanks so much for a few minutes. Before we wrap it up, it would make my life if I could get a “GET SOME!”
(Laughs) You know what’s funny about, “Get Some?” I’ve never written it in a script. I used it in the pilot. There was a moment where I walked around to the back of the van to start pushing, and there was dead air. So I just started selling, and I went, “Come on! Come on! Let’s GET SOME!” And I kind of started using it anytime it felt like a dead moment, or a big stunt coming up. Then the kids started using it. The kids started asking, “Can I say, Get Some here?” And I’m like yeah, sure.
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