Actor Jim Carrey is no stranger to zany and unconventional humor, but the trailer for his upcoming show Kidding takes things a bit too far. In his return to television, his character on the Showtime series is on the receiving end of a sexual favor performed by a puppet.
Kidding follows Carrey's character Jeff Pickles, aka Mr. Pickles, who is famous for being a children's television host in the vein of Mister Rogers. Unlike Mister Rogers, Kidding isn't kid-friendly as Jeff finds himself struggling to deal with the trouble before him. The show's official summary suggests "no fairy tale, fable or puppet can guide him through the crisis." As a result, Jim finds himself beginning to unravel as he struggles to find a way to cope.
"I have a tremendous amount of anger pent-up inside me. Every day, it grows and grows," Carrey's character says in the show's official trailer. "I don't know where it's coming from or how to stop it. I am magma from the neck down."
The questionable scene is featured relatively quickly in the show's trailer. The preview, however, is filled with multiple odd moments. Carrey's character pulled a Britney Spears circa 2007, a year where the pop star notably took a razor to her head. Jeff is seen pulling fake hands out of a bizarre contraption attached to his shirt. He's seen stowing away what appears to be a fake bird into a mysterious box. He is approached by a person boasting a gigantic version of his head. A large number of puppet sightings can't be missed as well.
Carrey's role in Kidding is his first part as series regular in roughly two decades. The Golden Globe winner's last television role of this caliber was in 2001 with In Living Color. From there, the actor managed to transition himself into being a bonafide movie star through films like Kick-Ass 2 and How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
Carrey was intrigued by Kidding due to the show's exploration of "the idea of the self."
"The search for identity is a theme that's always been attractive to me," Carrey, 56, said Monday during a TCA press tour, according to Variety. "There's definitely something in this piece that calls to me."
Deadline reported Carrey equated Kidding to The Truman Show. The comparison stemmed from the main characters in both projects being forced to put up a facade.
Kidding is directed by Michel Gondry, who previously worked with the actor on Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Carrey stars alongside Judy Greer, Catherine Keener and Frank Langella. It's slated to debut September 9 at 10 p.m. ET on Showtime.
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