After taking a break to work on his paintings, Jim Carrey is making his big return to acting. And he’s determined not to repeat the mistake he made passing on Spike Jonze for Ace Ventura 2, re-teaming with his Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind director Michel Gondry for a new Showtime series. Called Kidding, the series sounds like a dramedy in the vein of BoJack Horseman: Carrey stars as Jeff, aka Mr. Pickles, a beloved and wildly successful children’s entertainer whose career is in decline and personal life is in shambles, causing, as Deadline puts it, “a slow leak of sanity as hilarious as it is heartbreaking.”
Showtime has given Kidding a 10-episode straight to series order, with Gondry set to direct all 10 episodes. This will be Gondry’s first major foray into the world of television, and Carrey’s first since his days on In Living Color, which initially launched his movie career. Carrey’s already got a relationship with Showtime, though, thanks to his role as executive producer on I’m Dying Up Here. Showtime CEO David Nevis is certainly happy to have him, saying, “No one inhabits a character like Jim Carrey, and this role – which is like watching Humpty Dumpty after the fall – is going to leave television audiences wondering how they went so long without him.”