It may be hard to remember, but there was once a time on American Idol when Ryan Seacrest did not reign supreme. He once had a similarly coiffed co-host in Brian Dunkleman, who quit after the first season because he wanted to pursue an acting career and he found the judging too cruel (and maybe because “Dunkleman out” sounds more like a producer’s order than a sign-off). And although it was recently canceled, American Idol has had a hugely successful run on Fox, something that Dunkleman has regretted missing out on probably since the day after he quit.
As big a mistake as this clearly was—financially speaking, at least—Dunkleman has probably only spent part of the last decade wishing he’d made a different choice. Sure, he pitched a pilot for a series about his post-Idol life, but he’s also reportedly done stand-up. Well, things are finally coming up Dunkleman as TVLine reports that the erstwhile comedian will star in an upcoming mockumentary of HBO’s The Jinx: The Life And Deaths Of Robert Durst.
Dunkleman might finally get some closure, as he is set to appear as himself on the E! series, co-created by Psych’s James Roday and TV writer Ben McMillan (Max And Shred). The tentatively titled Quest For Truth: Dunkleman places the comedian in an alternate universe in which he’s still dealing with his not-in-syndication blues as well as being a suspected serial killer.
The TVLine article doesn’t indicate how closely or in what ways Quest For Truth will mirror The Jinx—there isn’t a single mention of Dunkleman’s burping abilities or how many unwitting confessions he’ll make. There’s also no word on how high-profile Dunkleman’s alleged victims will be, but since Seacrest is running low on projects these days, we could see an onscreen reunion.