Mark Roberts Talks Mike & Molly, The Midwest, and His Favorite Chicago Restaurant
Mark Roberts, the former head writer of Two And A Half Men and the creator of Mike & Molly, stopped by You & Me last week. We had a chance to chat with him before the show about the role the midwest plays in his work, the difference between playwriting and writing for TV, and his favorite Chicago restaurant (hint—it's not technically a restaurant).
The U: You got your comedy start in Champaign and Chicago. How much did Illinois and the Midwest influence your early material?
MR: Well I think it continues to influence my material. I’ve only got two plays out of ten that are set outside of Illinois. So I tend to write a lot for Illinois.
The U: Besides growing up here, is there a reason that you’re drawn to stories and characters in the Midwest?
MR: Well the voices are very familiar to me, and the rhythms of how people speak. And just from a very simplistic point of view, I have the geography in my head. So when I sit down to write something I have the whole thing. I know where people live and I have a sense of the geography which is really helpful.
The U: Could Mike & Molly have been set in a different city, or was it important that it was set in Chicago?
MR: Well, it could have, but I set it in Chicago because it’s a really great city and because of the geographical reasons. So when people on the show would say, “Where does Mike’s mom live?” or when they would go to shoot the exterior of the house, I’d say, “Northwest Side, Cicero and Foster.” I could give very specific, geographical answers. And I think the thing that I like about a city being prevalent is that everybody’s geography is a part of their story. I mean, in a lot of sitcoms that you watch, it doesn’t really matter where you set some of them. You can’t really tell, and I think that rings false for me because a city is very much a part of someone’s story.
The U: Other than Chicago, are there any other parts of your life in Mike & Molly?
MR: Well, I mean, the quickest thing is I’ve struggled with my weight my whole life. But when Mike & Molly started out, I was working on two different things. I was writing this thing between two cops—it was kind of a bromance. And then I also wanted to do a love story that started from the very beginning. Most sitcoms you land and they already have three kids and they’re already living together. And I wanted to do something that literally started from the first meeting. So I just combined those two ideas. And at the time I was head writer on 2 and Half Men, so I didn’t have to really develop it or clear the idea with them, so I just wrote it. And that’s how that came about.
The U: While you’ve worked on sitcoms, you’re also an accomplished playwright. How is writing for TV different from writing for theater?
MR: Well I consider myself a playwright who has worked in television. And I got my gig in television because someone had seen a play that I wrote. That’s really what I consider myself. With television, you know, the stakes are much higher because there’s a lot of money involved. You have a definite schedule—it’s a conveyer belt.
The U: Favorite Chicago restaurant?
MR: It’s not a restaurant, but my favorite place is the Fudge Pot on Wells. I guess I consider it a restaurant. Probably most people don’t. Probably shouldn’t eat that much Fudge.
The U: Is the Fudge Pot also the thing you miss most about Chicago, or is there something else?
MR: You know the thing I like about it, it’s a big city but it has a very Midwestern friendliness to it. I live in New York now which is also a great city, but there’s a different mentality there. New York is a harder city to get around, so people are a little less tolerant. You have to live so much of your life in public. You know, you live on a train so you see people eating while they’re moving. And because they have to live so much of their life publically, they become much more isolated as human beings. I think people are just friendly here…and it’s cleaner.
The U: What’s next for you?
MR: I have an animated thing that I’m developing in Los Angeles right now, and a couple of other television pilots that I’m working on. Significantly we’re also starting a theatre company here in Chicago so that all my new works and new plays will be birthed here. So there’s that in conjunction with the other television stuff.
You can see Mark Roberts perform in his play, New Country, at The Den Theatre in Wicker Park. And you also may catch him if you drop by The Fudge Pot. Buy your tickets here, and don't forget to catch Mike & Molly every night at 6:00 and 6:30 PM on The U!
