In the latest episode of TheWrap’s “Drinking With the Stars,” “Dr. Ken” star Ken Jeong explains how his “Community” background has served him as star and creator of the ABC sitcom.
“I come from ensemble comedy,” Jeong said in the interview with TheWrap’s Stuart Brazell. “And to me, ‘Dr. Ken’ is kind of a misnomer, because it really is about this whole universe of characters.”
The actor, who also co-executive produces the show, explained that he was highly involved in the process of choosing the rest of the cast, which includes such comedy heavyweights as Suzy Nakamura, Tisha Campbell-Martin, Jonathan Slavin and Dave Foley.
“I also help shape the show in post-production. I really pride myself in making sure all the great takes of all the actors come out,” Jeong said, noting that as someone with little producing experience, he’s had to learn on the job.
As Jeong has discussed previously, he has more experience as a doctor that an actor, and the show was inspired by his eight-year career as a physician and his experiences as a married father of two.
“It sounds like I made that up to have a show,” he said of his unorthodox career path. “[But] truth is stranger than fiction, and that’s exactly what happened.”
“Dr. Ken” airs Fridays at 8.30 p.m. on ABC.