In his first series regular role in over two decades, Jim Carrey stars as Jeff, aka Mr. Pickles, an icon of children’s television and a beacon of kindness and wisdom to America’s impressionable young minds and the parents who grew up with him. But when this beloved personality's family begins to implode, Jeff finds no fairy tale, fable or puppet will guide him through the crisis, which advances faster than his means to cope. The result: a kind man in a cruel world faces a slow leak of sanity as hilarious as it is heartbreaking. --Showtime
 
Jim Carry shares,
“What I really like about this whole project is that no matter how bad things may look, there’s an innocence inside us that can never be destroyed. It’s always there...Jeff Pickles is a gentleman who has raised everybody’s kids for 30 years. He’s reached out through the medium of television to love people.”
 
But, as the series Creator Dave Holstein points out in a KCRW interview, 
“He’s the kindest man alive and a ticking time bomb at the same time...
At the heart of the show is a father who loses one of his identical twin boys, and is, in a way, stuck with the “ghost” of the deceased child around all the time.” [Editor’s note: The remaining twin realizes that now when people look at him, they often see both him and his dead brother.]
Dave adds, “...The show deals a lot with identity and duality...Something I came across when researching grief, is that there is a direct line from grief to identity crisis. When someone dies, you ask yourself, ‘Well who am I now?’”
 
Set Decorator Don Diers SDSA and his inimitable team* collaborated deeply with Production Designer Maxwell Orgell and his teams, Props, Graphic Design, Costume departments and puppeteers to help explore this existential question visually, creating a range of environments, from stage to personal, including some fabulous magical realism!
 
Don gives fascinating details in the video interview here, which include: 
... “The aspect of Magical Realism universe as mystery and almost a powerful spiritual force. The boy is into Magic and shares these concepts with his stoner friends. The writers provide us with an environment to believe in magic in life’s tragedy...”
...In Season 1, twin houses next door to each other. Jeff buys the one next to his ex-wife’s house to attempt maintain the life he had. But it’s only a mirror reflection, an empty shadow of his life before the death of the twin...
... Deirdre’s two Puppet workshops as a device to highlight her conflict. Her Identity as a sister, friend, coworker, creative partner etc to Jeff...and major changes in her life and home in Season 2...
... Almost identical Mr. Pickles Puppet Time sets in different countries...so many parallels and visual twinning throughout the series...
...The Mr. Pickles Puppet Time set reflecting Jeff & Deirdre’s childhood home...
...So many intentional “compare and contrast” elements...and Easter Eggs!!

Interview with Set Decorator Don Diers SDSA, held at R.C. Vintage prop house: 

Set Decorator Don Diers SDSA Interview about Showtime's KIDDING from OfficialSDSA on Vimeo.

Head Buyer Christine Staggs encapsulates the Season 2 experience: "...A season with much larger sets, requiring larger crew and to work with special effects to configure some scenes. We had sets that were constantly moving characters and viewers between real time, imaginary worlds, and even international settings, with flashbacks and puppet sequences. At times, that meant a combo of stage and location for the same set/scene. We were constantly trying to weave these together, i.e. the ICU with partial wall filmed at the lake, and some of the art piece in the hospital in real time were echoing the imagery of the lake. Writers explored deeper the intricacy of duality when faced with changes in life which we reflected in some sets such as Deirdre’s new office and her now ex-husband’s house."
 
An example is this set change to reveal a person’s evolution over 5 years from meth junkie to going clean to finding and defining herself. And it was filmed in a non-stop sequence, which has gone viral on YouTube: 
CLICK HERE for Shaina's Apartment sequence shoot!
Don and team focused on finding not only signature pieces to enable the viewer to quickly define the changes, but also lightweight and easily movable for that extremely fast, choreographed turn around. 
 
So, check out the gallery above, with special notes from Don...plus a cameo of guest Arian Grande as the Pickle Fairy of Hope...
...and the on-camera interview with Don...
...and the fun viral set change...
And enjoy!!!
Karen Burg, 
Editor    


 


 
*Set Decorator Don Diers SDSA would like to acknowledge his incomparable crew, particularly:
Leadman Ken Turek
Head Buyer Christine Staggs
Buyer Assistant Danny Diamond SDSA Associate, Season 2
Art Department Coordinator Michelle Thieme, Season 1 
Art Department Coordinator Lisa Parker, Season 2 
OnSet Dresser Tim Gideon, Season 1
OnSet Dresser Austin Randoph, Season 2
Artist/Set Dresser Paula Zimmerman
Gang Boss Eddie Tamayo, Season 1
Gang Boss Phil Bufano, Season 2
 
...And his great resources, especially the following SDSA Business Members:
   Art:
Chris Art Resource
Enchanted Studio Props
Hollywood Cinema Arts
Hollywood Studio Gallery
   Medical:
Alpha Companies Motion Picture Rentals
A-1 Medical Integration
Scott’s Mansion:
Modernica Props
Objects
   Assorted sets:
Advanced Liquidators Office Furniture
Dina Art Company
Green Set
History for Hire
Lennie Marvin’s Propheaven 
Modernica Props
Objects
Omega|Cinema Props
Practical Props 
PSW/Props Services West
RC Vintage
Sandy Rose Floral, Inc
Sony Pictures Studios