Hiller And Diller (1997)—"Ted Hiller"
KN: That was the second pilot I did after coming off Saturday Night Live. I had high hopes for that show, because it was Richard Lewis and Eugene Levy, and the writers were Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mendel, Imagine was producing it—it had all the ingredients to be successful. In hindsight, I think maybe… Oh, I know what happened. We used to have powwows about this in our trailer once the show started going awry after the pilot. Me, Richard Lewis, Eugene Levy, we were all very frustrated and disappointed in the direction it was taking, because originally it was supposed to be about writers at work, and then the Powers That Be got involved and shifted it over to it being more of a family sitcom, to be more about the kids. We were all a little perturbed about that, and the show lost its ratings. We missed out on a great opportunity.
AVC: Do you think if that show was being made today—when the traditional family sitcom is more of a rarity—that it would have a better chance?
KN: Well, back then—wasn't Full House on back then? Or not Full House, but the one with Tim…?
AVC: Home Improvement? It was sort of winding down by 1997.
KN: Maybe it was. Maybe that was kind of the end of the family sitcom. But yeah, maybe Hiller And Diller would have a better chance now. It seems like all the sitcoms on now, the families are kind of dysfunctional. Two And A Half Men and… Actually, I hardly watch any network TV anymore. I'll watch some of the talk shows if there's a guest on I want to see, but mostly it's Larry King, CNN. I like HBO and Showtime.
AVC: Do you still keep up with your Larry King impression?
KN: [Laughs.] Not really. You know, I was never really an impressionist. If there was somebody within my range, maybe I could work on it and do a little exaggeration of them—which I think is really the way to do an impression. You don't want to be dead-on. I think the way Dana [Carvey] did George Bush was great, kind of taking it to the hilt.
Dharma & Greg (1998)—"Mr. Clayborn"
KN: I liked Dharma & Greg. I think Chuck Lorre's a good producer, and I liked working with Jenna Elfman and the rest of the cast. I think they used me pretty good on that show.
AVC: Did you get to witness any of Jenna Elfman's special Scientology powers?
KN: [Laughs.] No. She seemed pretty laid-back then. Pretty together.
World's Funniest Commercials (2006)—Host
KN: I went to school for marketing and advertising, so I have a special interest in good and funny commercials and why they work and why they're funny—which is one of the reasons I, like many people, like watching the Super Bowl, besides the game. I did a couple of those on TBS and the ratings were really good, and they wanted me to do another one in the summer with my wife [Susan Yeagley], which I thought would be fun. We did one in Venice, California last year, and then this year we went to Paris, France and did one. People really seem to gravitate towards that show.
AVC: What made you get out of marketing and into comedy?
KN: You know, I never really got into marketing. I went to school for it, but never pursued it once I got out. Instead, I went to Europe for about two months, just traveling around in youth hostels and Eurail trains with my friends. I came back to Connecticut for a little while, then decided to move to California and get into stand-up comedy. I think I sent out some résumés for marketing jobs, and they all came back in the mail because I didn't have enough postage. [Laughs.]
AVC: When was the last time you considered falling back into marketing?
KN: I never really came close to considering it. The hardest thing about moving to California from Connecticut was just missing my family. If I went back, it would be just because I was homesick.
Weeds (2005)—"Doug Wilson"
KN: Weeds is one of those once-in-a-lifetime scripts. As an actor, you're always reading scripts looking for something good, and this came along, and I was a little bummed because it was a Showtime thing, and I thought, "Oh, nobody really watches Showtime." But the script was really good, and my part really seemed to fit me well. I was only hired as a guest star, but then we found out it got picked up, and they wanted me as a regular. And lo and behold, Showtime started getting more and more viewers. I'm glad to be on Showtime now. It's a great network to be on.
AVC: You have kids now, so how would you address drugs with them?
KN: I have one son who is seven months old, and we've actually been talking about that a lot lately. I've told him time and time again, "Just say no." So he can shake his head "no" now when I wave a doobie—a fake doobie—in front of him. We practice. I say, "Hey dude, you want some of this?" And he shakes his head "no." So I don't think we'll have to deal with that problem.
AVC: After a long day of pretending to get high, how do you relax?
KN: I gotta tell you, that stuff we use on the show is pretty relaxing. It's a honeyrose herb. They roll it into a reefer and we smoke it. I don't smoke pot or cigarettes, so inhaling smoke as a non-smoker—it doesn't matter what it is, it's going to make you lightheaded. It kind of makes you just crash on the couch, where it's difficult to get up. Some of the other characters have been addicted to honeyrose herb, so this show is perfect for them.
AVC: Do you get a lot people asking you to get high with them now?
KN: This season, I've noticed a surge when I go out somewhere, or if I'm doing stand-up. Invariably, somebody will come up to me afterward with a joint and go, "Hey dude, you wanna go toke this up out back?" They assume that because I'm on the show that I smoke weed. Like, what about the guys on The Sopranos? Do the guys on The Sopranos go out to dinner, and then afterward, somebody comes up with a gun and says, "Hey dude, you wanna go whack someone after dinner?" [Laughs.] I don't think so.
AVC: So do you just politely decline, or do you call the cops?
KN: [Laughs.] I smile, and I'm gracious, and I tell them I'm not a pot smoker, but go have a good time.
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