Lisa Linke on ABC’s ‘Bless This Mess’ [Exclusive Interview]

ABC’s Bless This Mess revolves around a young newlywed couple, who has recently moved from a bustling city to the tiny farm town of Bucksnort.

Already residing in this small community are a bunch of eccentric characters who welcome Mike and Rio into the fold in varying ways. This includes everything from open arms to locked front doors.

Among all the people currently living in Bucksnort, one of my favorites has to be the always well-meaning Clara, played by Lisa Linke. Clara meets every difficulty in her path with a smile and a positive attitude — even when the odds aren’t in her favor. Although she sometimes gets pushed around, she never gets pushed over. 

You may also recognize Lisa Linke from shows such as Successful People, Teachers, and Goliath. Even if her face doesn’t spark any vivid memories, her voice may ring a bell from her popular podcast, Go Help Yourself with co-host Misty Stinnett. This entertaining and informative podcast reviews self-help books, along with a comedic twist just to keep things interesting. 

It is safe to say Lisa Linke has a lot going for her right now.

Even with her schedule rather full at the current moment, she was kind enough to make time to answer a handful of our questions about Bless This Mess, Go Help Yourself, and her career in general. 

Tell-Tale TV:  What’s the best thing about working on Bless This Mess?

Lisa Linke: The people! Everyone on set is such a dream to work with. I love seeing the crew, the cast, the writers, everyone.

It’s a very fun set and I’m so grateful to be working on this show! Also, piglets.

Tell-Tale TV: Bless This Mess represents itself as a sitcom, but it often dives into some serious relationship study. What lessons have you learned from being on the show and by acting alongside this diverse set of characters?

Lisa Linke: It really is, right? I think it’s so great to see couples that figure things out as they go. That’s way more like real life. I’m surrounded by comedy greats and getting to watch them work is a gift — not to mention super fun and hilarious, and I love every second of it!

Tell-Tale TV: Any given episode of Bless This Mess gives me a good old belly laugh. Have there been any hilarious scenes cut from the show that you wish would have made it in? Or are there any inside jokes between castmates or funny moments on set you can tell us about?

Lisa Linke: Oh, there is always way too much to make it into every episode. Everyone on set is such an amazing improviser and actor.

I don’t know how the director and editor put together the first cut because if I had that job, each show would be 45-minutes long! I love watching what everyone does and even the little things thrown away are truly gems.

Tell-Tale TV: Clara is often the brunt of her neighbor’s cruelty and jokes, yet she always bounces back with a smile. How do you think she is able to do that?

Lisa Linke: I think Clara is a true midwesterner. She sees all that’s going on and doesn’t let anything affect her until she gets home, when she probably tells all her cats how much that one thing someone said that hurt her feelings. 

Tell-Tale TV: They say that laughter is the best medicine. Has being on Bless This Mess or other sitcoms gave you healing in any way?

Lisa Linke: Oh, totally! I have made new friends and have laughed so much. That’s made this journey so wonderful.

Tell-Tale TV: Is there a certain castmate you would like to have more screen time with? 

Lisa Linke: I love working with everyone! When we did the scrapbooking scene last season, it was comedy lady-heaven, and I’ll take that any day of the week.

Tell-Tale TV: What would you like your acting career to be known for?

Lisa Linke: Oh my gosh — longevity? I’d like to be working for a long time and to not be pigeonholed into one kind of character. I’m happy to play Clara because she’s not like anything I’ve ever done before.

Tell-Tale TV: How did you come up with the idea for the Go Help Yourself podcast? What else can you tell us about it?

Lisa Linke: Thank you for asking! My friend Misty Stinnett reached out asking if I liked self-help, to which I replied: “I hate it” (I actually used more expletives.)

But she was thinking of starting a podcast reviewing self-help books, and our dichotomous views on their value made for a great premise. So we started recording over a year ago, and now we’ve been releasing episodes for over nine months.

It’s a comedy self-help podcast to make life suck less. We read self-help books so you can go buy them to learn more or skip them altogether.

Either way, you’re going to get a healthy discussion about the main points of the book from the co-hosts, and a lot of laughs along the way. You can find us wherever you listen to podcasts.

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Bless This Mess airs Tuesdays at 8:30/7:30c on ABC.

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