LeBlanc a pleasant surprise in Episodes

When it comes to the entertainment industry, there have been plenty of words of wisdom tossed about over the years. But one adage that seems to have stuck is three little words by legendary novelist and screenwriter William Goldman: "Nobody knows anything." Even people who've enjoyed show business success know this to be true. Just listen to David Crane and Jeffrey Klarik, who have had a hand in creating, developing and producing TV series such as Friends and Mad About You. "We've definitely got our war stories," Crane said. "It's a challenging process because the industry is ruled by fear. You have all this money being spent and you have all these executives who need to justify themselves and their jobs. They're terrified they'll make a mistake. The trouble is, no one really knows the answers." Klarik agrees: "It doesn't matter who you are or what you've done before, the minute they think your show's not going to be a hit, they panic. "Yesterday they loved you, and today your call's not being returned. It gets very chilly very fast." So, what do you do when you're in a working situation like that? Turn it into a show, of course. The new sitcom Episodes, a UK-US co-production, pulls back the curtain to reveal the stranger-than-fiction reality of the television industry, throwing in a sharply witty culture-clash comedy for good measure. It follows Sean and Beverly (Stephen Mangan and Tamsin Greig), personal and professional partners who've enjoyed a measure of success with a British TV comedy they created and produced. Lured to the US by the siren song of Hollywood when they're offered the chance to adapt their series for the American market, they find themselves in a showbiz nightmare as their program is transformed into a raucous, lowbrow comedy starring former Friends star Matt LeBlanc. But try as Sean and Beverly might to keep from being changed and compromised by the American way, the temptations of fame, money and terribly attractive actors prove overwhelming. It's bitingly funny stuff (and winningly sweet and touching at times), with the dryness of the Mangan-Greig team nicely complemented by the brashness of their American colleagues. LeBlanc is perhaps the most pleasant surprise of all, portraying himself as a likeable, charming guy whose immense wealth and fame lets him get away with some hilariously thoughtless things. "The idea was in the original British version of the show the part was played by an elderly Shakespearean actor," said Crane, a long-time friend of LeBlanc's. "So we thought, what is the furthest you could get from him? And then we went beyond even that. It's the worst piece of casting in the world." Klarik says they were a little nervous pitching the idea to LeBlanc at first. "I mean, he's the punchline. But he got on board immediately. He's a terrific sport and has a great sense of humour about himself. It was also an opportunity for people to see what range he has as an actor. The character of Matt LeBlanc in Episodes has some real dark sides, and Matt wasn't afraid to explore those." LeBlanc had been on something of a sabbatical since the short-lived Friends spin-off Joey ended in 2006. He'd been offered projects but turned everything down until Crane and Klarik ran their idea for Episodes past him. "I had been burnt out, 12 years playing the same guy," LeBlanc said. "But when they told me the idea behind the show I thought, 'That's probably going to be good yeah, get off the couch'. "In the beginning I was a little afraid of being exposed as the scripts hadn't been written yet - I was pretty nervous about what they might be making fun of. "Episodes takes the whole Joey persona that I have and meets it head-on. It's really liberating. People will come up to me and speak slowly, or they'll ask me if I'm OK because I'm a lot more low-key and subdued than Joey Tribbiani was. When you get pigeonholed as one character, people tend to think, 'That's all he can do'. "Episodes is an ensemble piece, told through the eyes of Sean and Beverly. A wedge is driven between them when they arrive in LA. It puts a strain on their marriage and their creativity within the show and it all quickly spirals out of control. And that wedge just happens to be me," LeBlanc said. "Sean and I get along great, but Beverly and I do not get along. I don't think I've seen a show with that dynamic before; it's a really fresh idea. Sure, there have been shows about a show before, but you don't see much of the 'show' here. "Celebrity is a funny thing. People want to know the magic behind it, what makes it work. You see this polished, finished product and you want to peek behind the facade, to see people's faults, to see the funny in that. There is a lot of upbeat stuff in Episodes but there are dark moments, too." Episodes airs on Tuesdays at 9pm on Nine/WIN.