Posted in: NBC, TV | Tagged: Stumble, taran killam

Stumble: Taran Killam on Jeff & Liz Astrof, Jenn Lyon, Football & More

Taran Killam (High Potential) spoke with us about his NBC mockumentary comedy, Stumble, Jeff & Liz Astrof, Jenn Lyon, football, and more.

Taran Killam is making the most of his opportunities since his memorable run on Saturday Night Live when he left the weekly late-night variety series in 2016. He's kept busy taking on several projects, including films, TV, and podcasting, with memorable roles in Universal's Night School (2018), the adventure thriller River Wild (2023), and ABC's High Potential. His latest is the mockumentary series from the sibling duo of Jeff and Liz Astrof (Shining Vale) in NBC's cheer comedy Stumble. The series follows Courteney Potter (Jenn Lyon), who is fired from her job as a cheerleading coach at a local junior college, where she worked with her husband, Boone E. Potter (Taran Killam), who is the school's football coach. Replaced by her assistant coach Tammy Istiny (Kristin Chenoweth), Courteney hasn't given up her cheering ambitions, landing a coaching position at a similar junior college and building their program from the ground up. Killam spoke to Bleeding Cool about the openness and creative flexibility of the Astrofs, working off Lyon, teasing a signature moment for an upcoming episode, and how he drew inspiration from the youth football drama Friday Night Lights for his Coach Boon character.

Stumble Star Taram Killam on His Dream Role as a Football Coach, Watching the Astroffs and Star Jenn Lyon Work Their Cheerleading Magic

What intrigued you about Stumble, and how did you get involved?

I was excited because I loved [their previous series] Trial & Error. I thought it was really slick, funny, and ahead of its time, like this great balance of absolute ludicrous comedy, heightened characters, but at its core, very human about capturing a piece of humanity. I was excited to work with both Jeff and Liz Astroff. I read the script, and I love an underdog story, especially an underdog sports story. I love that we got to put together this motley crew where the whole is better than the sum, the whole is better than the individual.

I like finding your expert flyer, your base, your gymnast. That's always been a favorite story structure of mine, and even within the script itself. I loved it because it was funny, yet very heartfelt and sentimental. It's about community, being part of a team, and being a part of something bigger than yourself, and so I was so impressed. It was also a traditional process, which I used to do all the time, Tom. I've been around, and I did pilot seasons of days gone by where you're auditioning ten times a week and going into room after room.

[Stumble] had that [laughs] "for better or for worse, antiquated or nostalgic," I should say, feel of driving onto the Universal lot, going into a room, and they had a digital camera on a tripod. I was like, "When was the last time I experienced this?" That was very exciting, and then I had the true privilege of meeting Jenn Lyon at our chemistry read. I immediately fell in love with her, got excited, and felt lucky to get to work with her every day.

How do Jeff and Liz set themselves apart as creatives, and why do you feel that the mockumentary format works so well for the show?

Those are two very good questions. When it comes to Jeff and Liz, I don't know that I've ever worked with a showrunner as collaborative as they are. In a majority of my jobs in the past, you always tiptoe in to ask permission to pitch your ideas, speak up, add or expand creatively, and they want to hear it. There's a moment at the end of 104, where Boone and Sally (Georgie Murphy) have a moment of bonding that I floated and felt nervous about, and they were so generous and so inclusive. They took it and made it better. I'm so excited for people to see that episode. I love Liz and Jeff, working with them, for them, around them, and at them.

As far as the mockumentary, it's very similar to Jeff's previous show, Trial & Error. It's cool to take a mockumentary show directly inspired by an existing documentary. That's successful because you have a foundation for the vibe, feel, and visual look that you're going for. Having Monica Aldama as an EP on this, having her oversee and choreograph all our gymnastics, gives this wonderful authenticity to our show, which helps it feel a little more elevated than just a standard, mockumentary kind of niche thing. It's the combination of the authentic cheerleading with, in my opinion, Jenn Lyons' very grounded, beautiful, and real performance, even though she's the funniest one in the room, that makes Stumble really special.

Was it always from the get-go that Jenn's character, Courteney, was going to stay in that cheerleading world and Boone was going to remain in football, or was there a concept that played around where you both were into the cheerleading itself?

Oh no, that's always been how it was set out. Yeah, no, I'd never heard that pitch, and I think it creates some good tension or at least good longing between Boone and Courteney to be separated like this. That's definitely a driving engine of Boone's character in this first season, like I had the sweetest deal. I had the sweetest setup. I have got my dream job coaching football. I got to show up and see the love of my life every day at the same school, and now that's been taken away from him. How do I get back to that? I think it's always been that cheer is Courteney's lane, football is Boon's. So I am pushing very hard for Boone to get into competitive eating.

Aside from the scripts, were there any additional inspirations that you had for Boone as far as any personalities, characters played, or coaches?

That I had for Boone? Yeah, he's like a Labrador of a guy, right? The base foundation for me is Coach Taylor from Friday Night Lights. I love that show, and I also loved Tami and Coach Taylor's relationship. They were there for each other, above all things. I think putting in that healthy, loving, positive relationship out into the world is something to be proud of. I grew up from second to ninth grade in Big Bear, California, which is very much a Friday Night Lights town. High school football is a big deal there. What I love about football in general, and I have been a fan of my whole life, is I love the feeling of coming together. I love the communal aspect of it, of gathering on Sunday, bringing snacks, and betting on the score. I loved that gathering feeling, and [Boon's] a guy who loves his team, his wife, and his community. That was all within my wheelhouse. I had a good handle on Boone from the outset.

Stumble, which also stars Anissa Borrego, Jarrett Austin Brown, Arianna Davis, Taylor Dunbar, and Ryan Pinkston, airs Fridays on NBC and is available to stream on Peacock.

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