Actress Andrea Savage was sick of the two-dimensional mom roles she was getting pitched, so she created her own show that depicts motherhood how it really is: hilarious, difficult and a little raunchy. The result, truTV's "I'm Sorry," enters its seco...
Actress Andrea Savage was sick of the two-dimensional mom roles she was getting pitched, so she created her own show that depicts motherhood how it really is: hilarious, difficult and a little raunchy. The result, truTV's "I'm Sorry," enters its second season on January 9.
Savage, known for earlier roles on "Veep" and "Episodes," joined "Salon Talks," to discuss the funny real-world challenges of balancing work and motherhood and what's in store for "I'm Sorry" season two, which starts off with her daughter starting kindergarten.
"Your whole life turns to shit when your kid learns to read," Savage told Salon's Alli Joseph. "You have to hide everything. Suddenly, the world is dangerous place you weren't aware of."
Many stories on the show have at least a kernel of Savage's own experiences as a mom. Using her improv comedy background, she takes real "teachable moments" and pushes them to the extreme to make the storylines flow for the show.
Savage was inspired by shows like "Curb Your Enthusiasm," "You're the Worst," and "Master of None," although she notes that her comedy is one of the few, like Pamela Adlon's "Better Things," to put a female comedian front and center playing a fictionalized version of herself.
From her obsession with a fellow preschool mom who used to be a porn star, to questioning her theoretical market value as a prostitute, Savage's namesake character is joined by an amazing cast of guest stars and regulars that include Tom Everett Scott, Kathy Baker and Martin Mull, Adam Scott, June Diane Raphael, Jason Mantzoukas, Gary Anthony Williams, Judy Greer and Allison Tolman.
As an executive producer, writer and director on "I'm Sorry," Savage is also taking a lead role in creating a family friendly work environment for women on her set and in the writers room. "I am in a position to actually affect change in terms of women in this industry. We hire a lot of women, but not only that, our writing hours start after [school] drop-off, and we stop usually around 5 o'clock. I work after everyone leaves," Savage said.
She continued, "I don't think shows have to be run the way they were run before. They can be run more efficiently, and they can be run in a way that you can be a woman and have children and do this job."
As to whether she will appear on the much-anticipated seventh and final season of "Veep," starring Julia Louis Dreyfus, Savage was mum, but hinted with a smile that she couldn't say yes or not for sure. Stay tuned.
Watch the full episode above to hear more about where Savage wants to take "I'm Sorry" and her funny mom moments that haven't yet made it into the show's scripts.