Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
Jim Rash: "New Girl.
"
Zooey Deschanel: If you
do that one more time,
I'm gonna break your faces in.
[ Laughter ]
It's the cult comedy about a single
girl surrounded by too many guys.
No-no-- shut up!
Who *** trapped me?!
For *** TV creator Liz Meriwether, her
own life provided much of the inspiration.
Shut up-- shut up! It's my mom!
Elizabeth Meriwether: I made some
decisions that may have involved alcohol.
Brett Baer: I think networks are little afraid
of characters that are a little broken.
You said "Broken," so let's
go down to you, Jake.
Jake Johnson: Absolutely.
Keep it together.
Don't let the ***
do the talking.
[ Laughter ]
And, trusting a new talent was a
gamble that almost didn't pay off.
That table read was maybe our
worst table read of all time.
The entire episode was period
jokes, and we were like,
"This is gonna kill.
"
[ Laughter ]
Let's meet the people who turned a
TV experiment into a smash success.
Outrageous success, horrible
mistakes, last-minute changes.
Creators of today's most
ground-breaking TV shows
tell all in the place
where it all starts.
"The Writers' Room.
"
All right, I am joined
in "The Writers' Room"
with Liz Meriwether, Dave Finkel, Brett
Baer, and Jake Johnson, who plays Nick.
Thank you for being here.
Uh, welcome to your
"Writers' Room.
"
It looks just like it, I'm sure.
- It is.
It's exactly the same.
- Yeah.
It is this neat.
And, I like that Liz has already
wrote, "Shut up, Jake," on her pad.
"A," I wanna thank you
for being resourceful,
and for letting us know
that your dynamic with Jake
is to shut him down.
She's trying to get me to feel
comfortable-- feel like I'm back at
"New Girl"-- let's improvise!
Dave Finkel: Back at home.
Yeah, let's do this.
Oh, good, gimme a suggestion.
Uh, gimme any
object, any object.
The suggestion is
Affection for Jess.
Oh, okay.
Go!
Okay-- uh, just pitch.
All right, um, okay,
take us back-- this is
gonna be my lipton moment.
- All right, uh, a couple
years ago - Yes.
Uh, you went in to pitch
what became "New Girl.
"
What was that like?
I mean, 'cause it's such a
nerve-wracking thing, I'm sure.
Yeah, originally, I think
"Modern Family," you know,
it was sort of blowing up, and
I'd kinda gotten a chance
to pitch a pilot, and I
thought I had to do, like,
a multi-generational family
show 'cause I was, like,
"Oh, those work, I guess.
"
[ Laughter ]
Basically I, like, kind of
went into this meeting,
and I was, like, you know,
like, sitting like this
on the chair, and, like,
muttering to myself.
So you were "Jessin'"
it for a second.
And, I was, like, I was,
like, "I don't know.
There's, like, an old woman
and, like, a young woman
and, like, a middle-middle-aged
woman and, like--" [ Laughter ]
"A young-old woman.
"
Yeah, yeah, ha-ha, and he was,
like-- he kinda, like, paused
and then, like, looked at
me and was, like, I think
you should just write about
your life and write about
people you know, and it doesn't
matter if we sell it or don't.
You know, it's like, just
try to make something
that you're proud of, because
Like, just make something good.
Wow, he laid it on the table.
Yeah, and I mean, he was
either being like a hero,
or my pitch for the multi-generational
show was just so bad.
I gotta put a bullet into this now!
That's the nicest
pass I've ever heard.
It is.
Write about somethin' totally
different and leave right now.
Respect yourself, Liz.
- Aw, what a mentor.
- What a mentor.
Yeah, and then you walk out the door,
and you're like, "Hey! He passed!"
[ Laughter ]
When they-- when they say things like, you
know, "Make something you're proud of,"
in Hollywood, you know that
they're kind of like--
Yeah, you're in trouble.
But, no, I mean, and so
then, I just sort of,
I went and kinda worked on, you
know, a show about m-myself
and some of my guy friends,
and, um, yeah, they bought it
in the room, and we-I-- then, like,
it's always that moment where
you're, like, "Yes!"
And then, you're like, "Oh,
God, I have to write it.
"
What do I do now?
And then, I wrote the pilot,
and it was, uh, crazy
and kind of a mess in the
way that I write things,
sort of without structure.
I was coming from theatre and
film, and I'd never been
on a s-- a TV writing staff before,
and you know, let alone sort of
had to run it, and I didn't know
what to do, and I was, like,
there's a room full of
people that wanna help me,
but I was, like, "No.
"
I got this.
It-it-but, it was- it didn't come
from, like, anything of just--
- I'm used to writing alone.
- Right.
I'm used to kind of
the process of, like,
taking it myself, going away and, like,
you know, writing it, and you just can't.
- You can maybe do that on cable,
but network-- - It's too fast.
I mean, we're-we did-- we
did 25 episodes this year,
and it just, it got to the point
midway through the season
where I was just, like, I'm
not making these scripts
better by taking them and, you
know, going away by myself.
And, I kinda opened up
and, like, let-- allowed
the TV writing process that's
been working for years
- and years and years-- - 50 years of--
- to work, and it really
helped, and for me, I-- like, as a
showrunner, the moment when I had
very little to do with a really
good draft was the best part for me
because I was, like, oh, suddenly,
I've, like, I've kinda gotten--
They got it.
The-- I-- uh, these people
kinda understand the show,
and-and they're making it so
much better than I could,
- and that was, you know, a victory
of, like-- - A life-saving moment.
I-I did-- I didn't do this, and
this is great, and this is
better than what I could've
done, and, like, that's, like,
to me that's the great part
about writing for television,
is, like, two minds
are better than one.
Uh, Liz had a cool idea, I
thought, which was that,
like, the-that Jess's character
was what would usually be
the side character on
the show or in a movie.
- Yeah, yes, and putting--
- And, moving that to
the front position and then-- I
think networks are a little afraid
of characters that are a little broken,
which is, like, the essence of our show.
Yes-- yes, which is great.
This is great.
This
is a great segue.
'Cause you said "Broken," so
let's go down to you, Jake.
[ Laughter ]
Absolutely.
Keep it together.
Don't let the *** do
the talking-- shoot.
[ Laughter ] Right on.
Good-good.
We're working well together.
Uh, what stuck out to
you reading this pilot?
It was really early.
I
had worked with Liz.
You were-- he was the first person that
I e-mailed the script to, actually.
- Yeah-- we-we did "No Strings
Attached" together.
- Right.
Yeah, I mean, I knew
that I definitely, uh,
wanted it to work with him, and,
uh, we had such a great time.
He's so collaborative and great-- I
love actors that wanna be part of
- the creation--
- Yeah.
Sort of process and not just people
kind of punching a clock and coming in.
He texts me late-night, uh,
ideas for Nick all the time,
- and it's, uh, like--
- And, then they end up on the show.
Yeah, they totally
end up on the show.
Like, the-the character-- the
whole-- that brings up--
Honestly, the
percentage is so low.
I was gonna ask.
We were tryin' to be kind.
We're tryin' to help ya out.
- This is a great place for us to really
get real about it.
- Let's do this.
And, if we didn't like some
of Jake's suggestions--
Is this a weird intervention?
Is that why they asked me
on "The Writers' Room?"
Let's shut the cameras off.
Let's do this.
Oh, this is a whole thing.
This is a whole thing.
You have to stop pushing.
This is not a real show.
[ Laughter ]
This isn't even a studio.
I was wondering why my mom and my dad
and my brother were doing the cameras.
My sister did make-up.
Dammit-- Going back to Liz for a
quick second, the thing about Liz
that is really great,
and we-- I realized it
on "No Strings," apart from
her writing being good,
is that she really is
collaborative, so everybody
on our show, even guest stars
comin' in, she's not the kind
- of creator who says, like,
"You will do this.
" - Right.
She'll-you'll do the script,
and you'll do it her way,
but she wants people to have ideas,
and then, really, what they do,
all of 'em, is kinda
the best moment wins.
- Yeah.
Absolutely.
- So it's not an ego process.
If it was funnier on page, then
we're not usin' the improv.
If it all was funnier-- it just-- whatever
works, it doesn't matter how it gets there.
That's the way it works on
"The Writers' Room," too.
Yeah, we bring in the
writer's assistants,
the PA's, anyone who's got, just sort
of, stuff-- they're welcome to come in.
Which is a way of, just,
me not doing my job.
No, but there is something
nice about the looseness,
and it definitely comes
across in the episodes.
Uh, th-this is one of those shows,
we know that there's a huge fanbase.
People connect with these characters, and
they are vocal about these characters.
Does-- is that intimidating?
'Cause I think people sometimes
think, "That's my best friend.
"
- But, it's also cool.
- Yeah.
I mean, it also, like-- I
mean, it feels exciting
that people get that, you know,
they're diving in so much.
And, I-I get a lot of, you
know, a certain character--
"Oh, that person is me,"
or, like, "That person
is my friend," which is,
like, a good-- you know,
it feels like, okay,
so we're still connecting
with people, which is good.
Yeah.
Now, you talk about, like, it-it's
obviously a very big community feel.
Do you guys find yourself,
especially when you're in
the writers' room or from
the actors, uh, do some
your personal stories or
personal ideas or things
that happened to you fall
into many of the scripts?
Almost all of them.
Honesty, I think, is
important for our show.
Like, having it feel like
it's grounded in some
real thing is, you know, where our
show, you know, lives, I guess,
and we're always having kind
of tonal conversations.
Is-is this too broad?
Are we just doing this
joke for a joke's sake?
Because we-we laughed, yes.
Yeah, I kinda get up and, like,
I'll just, like, rip everything.
- You feel free to-- and
- I'll just freak out-- - You feel free to--
and be like, "This
isn't working.
"
And then, I throw it,
and then I walk out.
I love it when she's
super-dramatic.
But, I have an idea.
Then, it's really calm again.
[ Laughter ]
But, in that-- in that process,
do we ever think that--
you know, 'cause you're
pulling from your lives,
you're pulling, you know, you
tell some story that might
be about someone else
or a family member--
do you ever have as a writer,
or even if you shared
that story, that moment of, like, ah,
I-I wonder how they'll feel about this?
- Oh, yeah.
- Completely.
Oh, we've had-- I-I think
we've had several writers
on staff have to go home to their
wives and go, "So, are you cool?
- cause we-- it's shot.
"
- We already shot it.
- It's on television tonight.
- It airs tonight.
Remember Donick?
Yeah, we had this, uh, we
did this Halloween episode
where we were looking for-
we needed a-a terrible, uh,
Halloween costume for, uh,
Winston's girlfriend Shelby.
Oh, yeah.
Donick Cary, one of our writers, uh,
his wife, uh, used to go as, uh,
"Raining cats and dogs.
"
She was wearing, like, a queen outfit with
stuffed animals attached to the cape.
Every year.
Every year.
- It was a repeat?
- Yeah, every single year.
It's, like, just gotta get the cape
outta the closet every Halloween.
It's nice to have a go-to.
And, uh, he-she made a deal
with Donick that we could do
the story as long as she got
the professional cats and dogs
"Raining cats and dogs"
costume when we were done
use-- you know, we had
a professional
costumer make this.
Oh, my, that's fantastic.
A-an upgraded "Raining
cats and dogs.
"
So, in a way, he was sort
of making a deal with
the devil, 'cause it was like--
he was-- we were putting it
on the show, but now forever, it's like,
she's gonna be "Raining cats and dogs.
"
You may have my story,
but bring me my costume.
Coming up, romance
the "New Girl" way.
We wanted it to be messy.
Like, things happen at
such a break-neck pace.
Do it.
And, I was, like, "Wait,
we're kissing now?"
Welcome back to "The
Writers' Room, New Girl.
"
Then, Dave and, uh, Brett, you guys
came to the party at what point?
Yeah, w-well, we'd worked with
Liz, like, five years ago
on another pilot that didn't go,
and then we were finishing up on--
It was an Artie Lang vehicle
called "Uncle Artie.
"
Yes.
Oh.
It's really funny.
It
just shouldn't be shot.
Apparently, it-it went
down the r-- all the way
down the road, and it was
between us and another show
that they ended up picking up
and-and quickly went away,
and I contend that it
would've been, uh, it--
it was a pretty solid show.
We would've lasted
three episodes.
Yes-- they lasted two.
And, they lasted for two.
There was a good-- there
was a good toothless
woman offering to give a, uh, like,
- She wore her-- - Wait, that
was in the pilot? - Yeah.
That-is that the "A" story, "B"
story, or was that a runner?
That was-- [ Laughter ]
They were writing
it for ABC Family.
We were-- we knew what
market we wanted to hit.
She did have her teeth
on a librarian chain
- that she took out of her--
- She had it on a chain.
- Oh, see, that's respectable.
- She met him at a racetrack.
Oh.
It makes sense.
So, surprisingly, Fox
didn't shoot that.
But, anyway, that-- I met them,
and obviously, like, like,
we, you know, hit-- we
totally hit it off.
She sent us an e-mail sheet
with the script, and she said,
"Ya like my poop-***?"
And, well, we liked
her poop-***.
They're gonna bleep you.
Oh, not good.
So, we can't say "***?"
Do you like to sel-- do you like
to self-deprecate your writing
before you turn it in?
I mean, just go, "Ahhh"
I-- I've found that
that really works.
- If you really, really lower--
- Push the bar down to here.
And, say, "Well, I know it--"
- This is the worst thing ever-- and,
then it's always the best.
- Yeah.
Yeah, y'know, it's not-- it's not at this
pitch, but, you know, that kinda thing.
Yeah.
But now, and especially
because obviously, we should
just talk about the kiss, so what
was sort of the thought behind
something that clearly, if you look back,
sort of started at the very beginning?
To be perfectly honest
in terms of our writers,
I thought they've handled
the Nick-Jess story so w--
like, well, in that, you know, the
kiss happened quickly all of a sudden.
You know, we'd been buildin',
and then we were doing--
And, we weren't
planning it, either.
Then there was a crazy episode
with, like, Max and I
are trying to, you know,
flirt with Brooklyn Decker.
Yep, mmm-hmm.
- And, I was like, "Wait,
we're kissing now?" - Yeah.
And, even with things that
happen later on this season
that you'll see, like,
things happen that will seem
crazy when I'll first read 'em,
and then when people watch,
- their reaction is
so strong-- - Yeah.
That it's handled in a way that,
you know, it's fun to be part of.
We wanted it to be messy, we
wanted it to feel organic.
I mean, I-I-I think there is
a lot of-there's obviously
a lot of, "Will they or
won't they," on television,
and I-I-I like it up to a
certain point, but I think
there's actually so much
story that comes from people
obviously, like, hooking up.
Yeah.
Doing stuff
with each other.
I mean, like, they-- like,
it just becomes like
you're-you're opening into,
uh, this whole world
of conflict and comedy,
and I don't think that
- as soon as two characters kiss,
everything is over and, like-- - Right.
No.
We're two old TV hacks.
Yeah, we've-we've-we're--
we're, like, save it,
save it for five years down the road,
and then- and then you realize,
oh, it's a different age now.
It's, like, things happen
at such a break-neck pace.
Do it, and we-- and, figure
out the repercussions.
Originally, when we broke
it, Schmidt kissed Jess
at the end of the episode
as just a big comedy thing.
Yeah.
And, uh, that wasn't working,
so when we table read
there was no kiss, and we got to
this moment where the whole episode
had built all this energy
between these two characters,
and we looked at each other-- we were
like, "Now we're lying not to do it.
"
Yes.
But, there's something
great about our show, in-
in when it works and things
happen organically onset,
we know kinda how to, y-y-you know,
that's the best stuff that we get.
Finding the happy accidents, and
you're like, "Oh, that happened.
"
- Yeah, the-the melon
breaking, and-- - Yeah.
And then, it gives us stuff
to build off of and gives us
episodes, and I-I feel like
going into season three,
we have the-- now we
have this on our plate,
and I don't see it as, like, "Oh,
we've burned that out now.
"
Uhh, there're so many
opportunities now.
- Mmm-hmm.
- For Nick to mess up.
- And, he probably-- he
probably won't.
- Yeah.
He's-- ha-ha-- he'll turn- he's
gonna turn his life around.
That kid's gonna make it.
[ Laughter ]
Lemme ask you-- um, go back
in sorta the writers' room
bit because sometimes
someone says something
or tells a story that might be true, and
you're just, like, that's really horrible.
Well, it's funny because, uh,
there were two or three things.
There was a story that Dave
pitched about water, uh--
Watsu-- it's, like,
this water massager.
- Water massaging.
- Yes.
Which became an aspect of that.
Then there was Jake's idea that he
texted us the first season about
talking to the man in the park,
and then that table read was
maybe our worst table
read of all time.
We had a terrible table reading.
It was the worst table read
of all time because, uh,
our idea was that all of the guys
in the house thought that they got
- their period with Jess.
- Oh, yes.
And so, the entire episode was
period jokes, and we were
- like, "This is gonna kill.
"
- It did not.
- And, we get to the table.
- No, it did not.
It doesn't go well.
We found the line.
It's
like, just silence.
You know, it's, like, a bunch of,
like, "Hey-- like, I got cramps.
"
Like, it was just terrible.
Look at that.
That's-that's a good
place to start.
We all know what we're thinking.
I think we all know that
this has to change.
I think we all know where
we're going with this.
But, after you're done
sort of throwing up
down the front of your shirt
with panic that you've
had a bad table read, we--
we've said that a lotta
times what happens is, when
you have a problem come up
- like that, where you're like,
"We're screwed"-- - Yeah.
It's, like, all hands on deck.
Everybody puts their energy
into making it good, like now,
and people really pull it out,
and a lotta times those end up
- being your funniest and
your best episodes.
- Yes.
I think even the symbiotic
relationship between what
we bring to the table and what
these guys bring to the table,
it just opened it up in a whole
different way, that, like, it--
- it just feels endless.
- Yeah.
And, it feels different than
just "An apartment show.
"
And, to give our staff credit,
the truth of the matter
is- is we have this issue on our
show where, when drafts come in,
they don't feel-- like,
from great writers--
they don't feel like the show yet, and
we're always goin', like, "What's wrong?
And I think we figured out
this year, the problem is
that what we're used to seeing
as this show is this combined
experience of her voice,
our voice, their voice.
We've got these great writers.
All of them work together.
- Everyone onboard.
- And, these
guys doing their thing to it.
So when you get a piece
of paper with someb--
one person's kind of, like,
"Here's my episode," you're
kinda like, "What's missing?"
And, it's like, it is that
kind of group contribution.
- Our show does not
live on the page.
- No.
So, like, you get the--
you know, the drafts just
aren't-- they don't feel
like the show, which is like
a-- it's like a crazy, frustrating
[ Laughter ]
Yeah, it can be.
Which is another great thing-- our
editor, Steve Welch, and his team
is paramount-important to the
writing on this show, as well.
I mean, we really are a show--
and, a lotta single-camera
shows might tell ya this--
but, our show definitely
is built in post, and all
of the different work that
they do, all of the matching
performances, and then somebody
puts it together-- it's like
another draft of the show.
Coming up, what happens
when I ask one of TV's
best writers to ad-lib?
Liz has writer's block
about an object.
Ha-ha, I have nothing.
- This is what it's like--
- We're literally screwed.
Welcome back to "The Writers' Room"
with the creators of "New Girl.
"
I wanna do one little, quick thing.
This is only for my enjoyment.
I want us to just quickly
break a Nick-centric story.
For season three.
- Mouth Party.
- This'll be huge.
- Mouth Party?
- Mouth Party.
- Mouth Party.
- Wait, that's the title?
The working title,
"Mouth Party.
"
Okay, working title.
Okay, everyone write
down, "Mouth Party.
"
The title is "Mouth Party.
"
Liz is gonna write down--
no, not right away.
Oh, God, I'm s-- this
is really scary.
No, you write down any
object, any object.
Oh, okay-- all right.
And then, Dave, why don't you
write down a great location
where we know a-a-at least a scene
has to take place, ya know?
And then, what do we wanna give,
uh-- just make up one line of
dialogue that we have to fit in.
- Okay.
- Okay?
I'm really stressed out right now
Like, I have never-- this is so stressful.
[ Laughter ]
He gets to write down a place-- I gotta
write down a whole line of dialogue.
And, for Nick, without--
without telling us, write down
a weird thing that
happened to you.
- Okay.
- Okay?
- I got my line.
- Okay, great.
- I-I'm workin'.
- I-I have nothing.
Liz is-Liz has writer's
block about an object.
[ Laughter ]
- This is what it's like, I'm tellin' ya.
- We're literally screwed.
- This might just be-- - You should just
go tear down the board, because
that's all we're
gonna get from you.
Okay, well, Brett, give
us what we have so far.
- Oh, okay, so this is my line
of dialogue for Nick.
- Okay.
It's, uh "If you want
that to happen, Winston,
you're gonna have to
take off that mustache.
"
Great-- so we know
Winston gets a mustache.
- So, uh, what--
- I have the object.
- What, uh, what's the object?
- Superhero cape.
Oh, okay.
Superhero cape has something
to do with this storyline.
And, I have "Ohio-themed
restaurant.
"
[ Laughter ]
Preferably Toledo.
- And then, what's-- - So, there's
a homeless-lookin' guy
- who hangs out at the bar named Sid.
- Yes.
He's got a big beard.
- He was there when Nick tried
to sell the porta-potty.
- Okay.
- I want Nick and Sid, uh, to take
karate c-classes together.
- Perfect.
To stand up against, uh,
bullies in the neighborhood
- who have been messing with Schmidt.
- Okay-- perfect.
See, that's, like, an
actually good idea.
All of our *** is stupid.
Then, but, we have to factor in
the fact that you have the line.
Now, I'm gonna just go out
on a limb-- we'll start.
"Mouth Party"-- maybe that has something
to do with Winston's mustache.
- Yes.
- He says, "I'm growin'
a mouth party," okay.
- Yeah.
That's good, that's good.
- I like that-- that's nice.
And then, like a mouth
party, it's a mustache.
- It's very clear what it is, and he
pronounces every word wrong.
- Yes.
- A "mousse-tache".
- I love a "mooth parte.
"
A "mooth parte.
"
A "mooth parte" exists.
"Mousse-tache.
"
- So, why is Winston growing that?
- I don't know.
Well, maybe he's cold.
Like, maybe he has,
like, a cold face.
That's hilari-- ha-ha-ha!
- Because he did-- he didn't
pay the heating bill.
- Right.
It's, like, more
of a face sweater.
- So, he's-- he has a face sweater.
- Yeah.
We've forgotten
something important.
What's the "New Girl" doin'?
Yeah, right.
The superhero cape.
What is the damn-- Oh, okay.
- She will not take off the
superhero cape-- - She won't?
- Because um - Well, I feel like
there might be, like, a cold thing.
Like, if there's something
in the loft with, like, the-
- like, the-- it's freezing-- - That's
the central part of the story.
So, like, the only thing that she
has is, like, a superhero cape,
- and he's growing the mustache.
- She puts it on.
She finds, actually, that
she feels more powerful
- when she's wearing it.
- Embodiment, yes.
She likes who she becomes
when she's wearing it.
- She actually thinks she might have
superpowers.
- Th-that's for sure.
- And then, she starts wearing
it under her clothes.
- Yeah.
You joke-- this is happening.
Th-this is totally happening.
So, real quick, and then, all
of sudden, the third act--
"Full mouth party.
"
Jake as Nick says to him, "Hey, if
you want that to happen, Winston,
you're gonna have to
take off that mustache.
"
And, what did he want to happen?
He wants Nick to pay the
bill for the-- for the--
- That's perfect, yes.
- Yeah, 'cause it's freezing.
It's so real.
It's life, it's life.
Season three-- wrapped!
I'm gonna just say
two words to you.
"Season premiere.
"
You're welcome.
[ Laughter ]
Coming up, some
secrets revealed.
I-I went home with a guy.
And, you won't believe
what happened next.
[ Laughter ]
Welcome back to
"The Writers' Room"
and Entertainment
Weekly's "The Last Word.
"
Uh, we are joined now by Jess Cagle
from, uh, "Entertainment Weekly.
"
- Welcome, Jess.
Jess Cagle: - Hey, thank you.
Thank you for joining
our discussion.
Thank you, guys, for coming.
Yeah-- I'm gonna
throw it to you.
I wanted to follow up on the-the
parts of your real life that make it
onto the show, an-and I would
love to hear a specific thing
that one of you brought to
the table that ended up
on the show, and what-- and
then how it developed,
what it ultimately
became on the air.
Okay-- we could do that.
Mine's, like, super
embarrassing.
- Go for it.
- That's perfect then.
The more embarrassing,
the better.
I had this night,
um, in New York.
I was, uh, you know, uh,
I-I-I went home with a guy.
- I made some decisions.
- A gentleman.
I made some decisions that
may have involved alcohol.
- And ended up, like--
- And, a mouth party, perhaps.
There may have been a mouth
party with two people invited.
- Um, and anyway-- - Uh, you and another
person, not multiple guests--
- in the m-mouth - Um, and, um,
I'm really regretting this.
No-- this sounds like a good penthouse forum--
and, you won't believe what happened next.
Name and address-- I'm actually
gettin' into this in a different way.
[ Laughter ]
I'm like, "Jake, stop
talking-- shut up!"
Tell the story.
So I, like, it was, like,
uh, it was kind of
after-the-fact, and he was,
like, "Oh, man, Katie,
that was great," and like--
I was, like, old enough
where, like, that just had
never happened to me,
and I was like, "Whoa.
"
[ Laughter ]
And then, I-I had this moment
where I dec-- I, like, was--
I really wanted to
just go with it.
I really wanted to just, like, create
this alter ego of, like, Katie.
Like, he-he-he had heard, like, 30%
of what I said, so he was, like,
"You're Katie-- you're a
freelance journalist,"
like, when I, like, I kind of reacted
to it, and I was, like, I kinda
wanted to go with it.
I wanted to be, like, yeah,
like, I'm her, and like,
I'm tryin' to, like, get
my stuff into magazines.
And, like, you know, I'm like, "I
was born Katherine, but I decided
- to go with Katie.
"
- The backstory.
And, like, I had this whole
thing, and, you know,
and, like, I kinda-- it was
also just, like, so humiliating
and, like, a weird moment,
but, um, and those kind of low
points I think end up-- I take
them to the writers' room,
you know, because it's kind of
where you act out your demons,
and then that became
the episode "Katie"
where she was, like, goes--
you know, creates this
alter-ego for herself of Katie.
And now, the-tha-that guy
and I are getting married.
No, I'm just kidding.
[ Laughter ]
And, he still
thinks she's Katie.
Yeah, he still thinks my name
is Katie-- joke's on him.
[ Laughter ]
Uh, anyway.
Well, I wanna thank everyone,
Jess, for joining us, and
thank you all for being part
of "The Writers' Room.
"
Best of luck with season three.
We need it.
We're looking forward to it.
Well, apparently, because you
can't even pick an object.
- So
- We have Mouth Party, tho.
Oh, we have Mouth Party, so
forget our season premiere.
Thank you, Jake
For more oh
I have to do this.
For more of The Writers' Room
all right, go to
sundancechannel.
com
I am Jim Rash,
and we'll see you next time
inside The Writers' Room.
And now let's all pretend like
we got into a big fight.
- I'm telling you!
- You are! You are!
What's the matter with you!?
I'm outta here!
Get out of here!