Co-creator and executive producer Jack McBrayer is thrilled with the reception from season 1 and looking forward to his young fans and their parents coming along for the journey of season 2 on Apple TV+. Jack is one of Clover Grove’s most thoughtful and caring residents, greeting everyone with kindness and humor. His ability to spread compassion, creativity, and imagination inspires everyone in town to do the same. “I’m pleased, relieved, and so grateful, but also, I’m so proud for everyone to see season 2,” Jack McBrayer, known for his work on 30 Rock (for which he won an Emmy Award), Phineas and Ferb and voicing Fix-It Felix in Wreck-It Ralph, exclusively tells Parade.com. “We worked so hard. In season 2, we’re picking up on some of our same themes and we’re seeing some of our favorite characters again,” he said. “I’m just able to keep the ball rolling with the energy and the motivation that I had from the first season.” Read on for why Jack McBrayer is so excited for all of us to enjoy season 2 and the joy he has felt working with the children, their parents, musicians, and more on Hello, Jack! The Kindness Show on Apple TV+. What are your expectations for the new season? We have a couple of fun theme episodes that I think people will get excited about. We have a fun Halloween episode where one of our characters is a little scared by some of the spooky decorations. We have a fun episode where Clover Grove has a big snowstorm that throws a monkey wrench into some of our plans. And we have some incredible guest stars joining us for season 2 as well. Why do you feel like you’ve been able to connect so well with the young audience? For me it was the music, it was the colors and it was the positivity. Well, I think you hit those three right on the head. The music has been just such a joy, having the band OK Go was such a feather in our cap. I could not be more grateful for their participation. They write an original song for every single episode, and that is not really something that happens these days. The set looks fantastic with the costume design. It’s just been such a joy. On a personal note, one of my favorite things was working with our child actors. They are just delightful, they always knew their lines, and they would hit their mark, but also they were just such a pleasure to be around off camera. They were just so funny. We’d all call each other on our birthdays. It’s just so much fun to stay in touch with them and I feel very confident that they had a positive experience while working on the show. What sort of feedback have you had from kids and parents for Hello, Jack! season 1? Apple TV+ I’m not ashamed to say the reception has been pretty lovely. So fantastic. My favorite thing is when my friends with kids will send me videos of their children watching the shows, and the kids are just locked in. And I know—or at least I’m being told—that the parents enjoy watching with their kids, and that to me is so important. Co-viewership was a really big goal as we set out to do this show, and so to have my friends, people that I know, and people that I grew up with, watching the show with their kids, holds a very special place in my heart. I’m really proud of it. Are there a lot of reasons in your mind why season 2 comes at such a good time? With everything we are dealing with in the news, there are a lot of things to be anxious about and your show is the antithesis of that. Well, that was the plan all along, so I think it kind of didn’t matter when you released this next season. I think it was going to be a good time to have a soothing balm, an antithesis to our daily news. But I am so grateful, it’s almost a year to the day since season 1 launched. So I like to just see the ball continue to roll, I like to see that momentum continue. You talk about empathy, humor, playfulness, kindness and caring. Are these things that need to be fostered everywhere in our lives? Apple TV+ Absolutely. I like having the show pique the interest of people of all ages, but I also like sometimes introducing these themes, these messages to our younger viewers. Because they may have been exposed to it but it might not have been as explicit as watching an episode of Hello, Jack! So, if that is going to be their introduction, then I am excited to take that challenge, and just have these episodes for the kids, for everyone to watch. Yes, let’s foster all of these for all ages. What did you personally and professionally learn about yourself from doing seasons 1 and 2? Well, I am not gonna lie, I was wearing a lot of hats. I had a lot of responsibilities for Hello, Jack! that I had not had in other projects. For 30 Rock, I would just show up as an actor. Super fun, had a blast, but it’s a whole different skill set to be a co-creator, a producer and a star of a show. Even though it is for preschoolers, you’re answering a lot of questions, you’re making a lot of creative decisions. I’m learning a lot of lines. Oh, I learned so many lines. On top of the lyrics, on top of wanting to make sure that the crew and the cast were having a good time. And I think I look forward to subsequent seasons because I want to find a better balance for that. I mean, sometimes I was hanging on by a thread, I am not gonna lie. Do you think Mister Roger’s Neighborhood and Fred Rogers influenced you in the making of this show? Absolutely, I don’t think it’s any secret that Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood was a huge inspiration for me for creating Hello, Jack! I would love to even go deeper into that. We do talk about sadness and homesickness. In season 2 we talk about fear and loss and all these things. I would love to go even deeper with this. Some problems can’t just be easily and cleanly solved. And that’s life, and that’s OK. What’s the best way to cope with that? What’s the best way to deal with those situations? And of course, I would rely on the expertise of our consultants and our people who have been doing this, our professionals. Apple TV+ I love that you’re fostering the imagination. I will never look at a mint plant or a rosemary plant again and not see them talking and smiling, and that’s just so cute. If I was a little kid I would want to cook if I saw that. It has been such a fun aspect. I’ve always, always, always loved cartoons and animation. Mr. Rogers had his Land of Make-Believe, which was puppets. I don’t want to completely rip off Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, but I loved what he was able to accomplish with that fantasy, with that imagination that he incorporated within his episodes. I was like, “What is our version of it?” Well, I’ve always loved cartoons. Can we combine the two? Again, with all these animation producers and people, it was a very collaborative effort, but we got there and I love it. I’m so pleased with it, and I know that the kids love it too. One of my son’s favorite shows was your series Wander Over Yonder and he was disappointed when it ended. He loved that show. I love Wander Over Yonder, which was also one of my favorites. I’ve been so grateful for all the projects I’ve ever worked on. I love doing children’s programming and I just want to keep doing it for a long, long time. On the set, if one of the children said, “How do I follow in your footsteps, Jack? How do I make this a whole big career?” What would you tell them? Apple TV+ Honestly, they’re doing all right for themselves. I didn’t even get into show business until really long after college. One thing I will say about our young co-stars is they have an excellent support system. The parents that we had on set were so wonderful because you hear horror stories about the stage parents and stuff. This was not the case with our cast, and they’re going to be just fine. It’s been so delightful to watch them grow, laugh and play as they’re doing a legit job, like a job. Can a small act of kindness still change the world? Yes, it can. I firmly believe that an act of kindness can be just the smallest of things, and it can make a huge difference. I’m okay with the fact that kindness to me is not completely selfless. I like that it makes me feel so good when I do something kind for somebody. So, if that’s another selling point, then by jingo, I’m going to lean into that. Whatever it takes—kindness helps everybody. Seasons 1 and 2 of Hello Jack! The Kindness Show are streaming on Apple TV+. Next, find out Best Foot Forward star Logan Marmino’s biggest life lessons so far.
