Eric Roberts & Mae Whitman Join Kidding Season 2

The Jim Carrey-led Showtime dramedy Kidding has begun setting its guest star roster for the upcoming second season with the additions of The Dark Knight‘s Eric Roberts and Good Girls‘ Mae Whitman, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

“Kidding has established itself as one of the most endearing and inventive shows on television,” said Gary Levine, President of Programming at Showtime Networks, Inc. “I feel like I have been watching Mr. Pickles my whole life, and I look forward to being entranced by his unique blend of hilarity and heartbreak in season two.”

Kidding centers on Jeff, aka Mr. Pickles (Carrey), an icon of children’s television and a beacon of kindness and wisdom to America’s impressionable young minds and the parents who grew up with him. But when this beloved personality’s family begins to implode, Jeff finds no fairytale, fable or puppet will guide him through this crisis, which advances faster than his means to cope. The result: A kind man in a cruel world faces a slow leak of sanity as hilarious as it is heartbreaking.

Roberts is set to play Bernard Paley, an Amazon executive looking for a new project to acquire when he comes into contact with the Puppet Time team, while Whitman to portray Chloe, a medical marijuana dispensary employee who watches the children’s series while high.

The series also stars Oscar, Emmy and Golden Globe nominee Frank Langella (Frost/Nixon), Oscar, Emmy and Golden Globe nominee Catherine Keener (Get Out), Judy Greer (Married), Cole Allen and Juliet Morris. Guest stars include Justin Kirk (Weeds), Ginger Gonzaga (I’m Dying Up Here) and Tara Lipinski.

Throughout the season, Jeff begins to push back against the limits of the well-oiled machine that is “Mr. Pickles’ Puppet Time,” and of his executive producer, Seb (Langella). Seb fears Jeff’s mental state could ruin the branding empire they’ve built, and thus begins preparing the show for a life after Jeff, while Deirdre (Keener), the head puppet maker, grapples with her own professional and personal issues, including with her daughter, played by Morris. Greer stars as Jeff’s estranged wife, and their son is played by Allen.

Kidding is executive produced by Holstein, who wrote multiple episodes and serves as showrunner. The series reunites Carrey with Oscar winner Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), who serves as executive producer and directed several episodes. In addition, season one of Kidding is executive produced by Carrey, Michael Aguilar (I’m Dying Up Here), Roberto Benabib (Weeds), Raffi Adlan (The Green Hornet), Emmy nominee Jason Bateman (Arrested Development) and Jim Garavente (Bad Words).

(Photo Credit: Backgrid Images)