Big Picture Big Sound

When you think of cable channel TV Land you probably think about reruns, and that makes sense. Since its debut the network has been a go-to desination for nostalgia-based programming, with a solid lineup of classic tv dramas and sitcoms available around the clock. TV Land, which was spun off from host network Nickelodeon in 1996 as a permanent locale for its "Nick at Nite" content, was known for years as the place to relax with back-to-back-to-back episodes of your favorite reruns: "Gilligan's Island", "Friends", "The Honeymooners", and just about every western that's ever been on television.

But times are changing, and like so many of its competitors in the cable field, TV Land has been making a foray into original programming. In 2010 network came out with "Hot in Cleveland", a sitcom starring Betty White, and bolstered by the show's success they've decided to continue down the production path. Accordingly, the network was at Comic-Con this week to give fans a sneak peek into three new shows slated for 2015/16: "The Jim Gaffigan Show", "Teachers", and "Impastor".

"Impastor" is a half-hour comedy based on an unlikely premise: a small-time crook who's trying to stay a step ahead of a pair of loan sharks lucks into a new identity as a small town's new gay pastor. With that brief description you'd probably imagine that this is no standard sitcom - and you would be right. In addition to the unorthodox setup, "Impastor" also bosts an unusual mashup of genres. A look at the pilot shows facets of broad, on-the-nose comedy, but there's also an edgy darkness that's surprising. Additionally, the show is built around a murder mystery, and it's constructed so that each episode will end on a cliffhanger. I had a chance to sit down on the first day of Comic-Con with stars Michael Rosenbaum ("Smallville"), who plays Buddy Dobbs, the crook-turned-preacher, and Sara Rue ("Popular"), who plays Dora, the sweetly innocent pastor's assistant. Each provided insights into what drew them to the show, and what makes it so unique. The pair previously worked together on "Zoe, Duncan, Jack & Jane", which aired on the fledgling WB (now the CW) Network in 1999, and they have the easy camraderie of long-time colleagues. This translates into a charming chemistry in their scenes together in the "Impastor" pilot, and it made for a fun interview opportunity.

Asked about the potential challenges of working with the unique content and construction of "Impastor", Ms. Rue talked about finding the tone of the show: "I think shooting the pilot was difficult because we were all wondering, 'what is the tone...?'. And (executive producer & director) Rob Greenberg was great in that we would do one take that was very reality-based, almost playing it like a drama. Then we would do another where it was just a full-on, bigger style comedy. It was really interesting. While we were shooting I was thinking, 'I hope this turns out okay!'. But Rob is so talented and he had a vision, he cut it all together in a way that really worked, and once we saw the pilot and we were going into production we knew what the tone was. Ultimately it's a very dark comedy that has a reality base, and it's sort of a big story - there's murder, and there's hookers and there's drugs and there's a gay pastor and there's religion, and a small-town feel - but we're trying to keep it as grounded as possible and play the reality. And for me personally, that's what I like in a television show. It's different than what's on tv right now, and I'm excited about it."

The actress also talked about enjoying the show as a departure from much of her previous television work, in that, "I mostly have done multi-camera (shows), so to do single-camera where I get to play around with tone and with the words, and being able to change things up a bit is great. Chris Vane, who created the show, is there all the time and we would do a take and he would tweak things and we'd do another take - so you'd get a bunch of different options. When you do multi-cam you can get a second take but you really have to rehearse (the changes) into shape before you get the audience in. (With "Impastor") because we never had an audience we really had a chance to play with it, and it was really fun." Ms. Rue was drawn to the show because it is "so funny, and so well-written", and she liked the script right away. And she's aware that the show constitutes a major departure for TV Land; when reading the script she initially assumed it was an offering from FX. "I never thought that TV Land would do a show with cursing and smoking and sex. (With "Impastor") this network really wants to take some risks, and I thought that was exciting too. I hope the audience will be on board quickly with the show. It's ultimately about redemption, and I think everyone can relate to that."

Mr. Rosenbaum noted that what drew him to the show, and to the role of Buddy Dobbs, is the humor: "I've always loved comedy. I've always wanted to do comedy. It was funny that I was thrown into the role on "Smallville", playing this villainous, intense, brilliant character, because (I'm) the antithesis of Lex Luthor - really I'm just a kid, I just like to have fun, and I always wanted to make people laugh." He also talked about the appeal of being part of reshaping TV Land: "They want to be edgy, they want to be darker, they want to get in the game, like AMC with "Mad Men". And he's pleased that the network has thus far stayed true to that edgy vision of the series: "The creators and producers all wanted "Impastor" to be what it was. And after all of the (production and post-production) I watched the episode and I said, 'this is it, this is what I signed on to do'. I'm very proud of that."

Because it's Comic-Con, the actors were asked to talk about their "favorite fandoms". Ms. Rue noted that she's "a huge "Walking Dead" fan", and at Comic-Con, "I'm excited to see what's coming up for the spinoff ("Fear the Walking Dead", slated to debut in August) - and I'm hoping to see a few zombies." Mr. Rosenbaum stated that he's "a fan of nerds - I was a huge nerd in high school and I lived in fantasy world - "Star Wars", "Star Trek". I love fantasy. This is my first time at San Diego Comic-Con, and I feel at home. There are nerds here, like me."

"Impastor", starring Michael Rosenbaum and Sara Rue, debuts July 15 on TV Land.