‘Extended Family’ Creator Mike O’Malley Talks Series Inspirations and Hopes for a Season 2 [Interview]

Created by Mike O’Malley, NBC’s newest comedy series, Extended Family, follows the Kearney family as they navigate Jim (Jon Cryer) and Julia’s (Abigail Spencer) divorce after 17 years of marriage and the implementation of her new boyfriend, Trey (Donald Faison), the owner of the Boston Celtics.

It’s a light-hearted family sitcom that aims to bridge the divide and showcase what a family of divorce can look like when all parties work in the children’s interests.

I recently had the opportunity to chat with series creator, showrunner, and executive producer Mike O’Malley about the inspiration behind the show, his hopes for a Season 2, and why Extended Family is nothing like any other sitcom on the air.

On the inspiration behind Extended Family:

The series is loosely based on the lives of Wyc Grousebeck, real-life owner of the Boston Celtics, his ex-wife, Emilia Fazzalari, and her ex-husband, George Geyer.

O’Malley said when Grousebeck and Tom Werner, owner of the Boston Red Sox, approached him about the idea of a sitcom based on Grousebeck’s life, he was excited.

“I’m a big Red Sox fan. I’m a big Celtics fan. So, I was thinking maybe I can get some good tickets out of this,” O’Malley joked.

What he found intriguing about the premise of the series is that it follows three adults living a post-divorce life that is less disruptive for the children. Instead of focusing on their comfortability, the trio is taking time to put the kids first and attempting to frame the situation in a way that doesn’t look at divorce as something terrible.

“I don’t think anybody goes into a marriage hoping they get divorced,” O’Malley said. “We all know plenty of people who, as they grow through their years, realize either they grow into being a different person, the expectations that they have in that marriage don’t pan out, or the incompatibility just increases. And yet, they still have the same goal: to provide a loving, stable environment.”

Unlike many divorcees who resort to petty fighting over trivial issues instead of focusing on what’s best for the children, Grousebeck and Fazzalari worked to avoid the stereotypical actions executed by most. It’s something O’Malley applauds but realizes it’s not a feat easily achieved. It’s also one of the many reasons Extended Family stands out from other sitcoms.

“This is a situation where people are trying to acknowledge that they should no longer be married. Yet, they want to make all of this work. Part of what we’re acknowledging is that divorce is real and doesn’t necessarily have to be antagonistic, even though there are still reasons for it to be so,” said O’Malley.

Working in the industry for over four decades and previously at the helm of other series, O’Malley has held creator, showrunner, executive producer, and writer titles in many different instances. He says it helped him learn the essential aspects of being a show creator, some of the most crucial being patience.

Watch the full interview with Mike O’Malley:

On the series format as a multi-cam:

Having to shut down production halfway through the season due to the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes, the Extended Family cast, like many other productions, was forced to pick up the pace and work double time to finish the season, completing seven episodes in between the end of the strike and the beginning of the new year.

“My experiences prior, I think, allowed me to — I don’t want to say not freak out because I’ve been doing this for a long time, and I don’t think freaking out ever helps anyone, but it is a show you’re trying to put out high-quality stuff, or what you believe to be high-quality stuff, relentlessly in a short period of time,” O’Malley said.

“There is something about multi-cams that I’ve learned through this process: there is a lightness to them that is necessary because people are watching them and want to see themselves and human folly rendered amusingly. They want to be with these people; they want these people to be happy. I can’t think of too many multi-cams where people were looking for these characters to get their comeuppance week after week,” O’Malley continued.

“I think that the multicam process is relentless. It is a relentless grind for everyone. But one of the things I’ve learned about this show, in particular, is that when Jon Cryer, Donald Faison, and Abigail Spencer are all trying to team up against the world and help one another, it’s a better energy for them than to be angry and antagonistic with one another.”

Extended Family tackles many different subjects. One of the most notable of the season thus far is the instance of video games and how they can negatively and positively impact a child.

On Extended Family Season 1 Episode 3, “The Consequences of Gaming,” Jimmy Jr. becomes obsessed with a violent new video game requiring players to stab others to win.  

“The thing about video games is that they’re something that all parents have to deal with now. It is what it is. I can see why people don’t want their kids playing them, but I think that ultimately, you just have to have moderation in these things,” O’Malley continued.

On video games and relatable storylines:

O’Malley said when thinking about how to tell stories about a typical family in the world and how to solve their problems, he naturally gravitates to “The Consequences of Gaming” and how validating it is for parents to see Julia flip out and rip the router out of the wall, reassuring them they’re not alone.

“Just to see that portrayed on television, you realize, ‘Oh, we’re not crazy in our house. This is going on in everyone’s house, and maybe we should have a conversation about how to deal with this.’ That’s what I think is fun,” O’Malley said.

O’Malley recalled a situation with his children when they were younger. Like most children, they were obsessed with Minecraft, so they began watching different YouTubers to get better, eventually leading to them meeting said YouTuber in person.

“It was like me meeting Tom Brady or Larry Bird. And people said, ‘Why are they watching YouTube videos of gamers playing these games?’ And you know what my answer was? ‘Why are you watching Tiger Woods play golf? Why are you watching Tom Brady play football?’ It’s because we love to see people doing things we want to do, and kids, in particular, want to watch these YouTubers play these games so they can pick up tips on how to play better themselves. It’s elementary to me,” O’Malley said.

On whether or not he’ll make a guest appearance on Extended Family:

O’Malley has been in his fair share of comedic roles, but fans hoping to see him make a guest appearance this season will be disappointed.

“I desperately want to, but I’m a savvy old veteran. Or at least in some aspects, I shouldn’t say savvy; I’m a greedy old veteran [in] that I’m not going to show up until I’m a family member.”

“I want to make myself somehow an extended family member of this family because if you create yourself a character — I learned this from Glee — if you’re the kid’s dad, you got to be showing up at some of these things. If you’re just the kid’s friend, they’ll kill you off,” O’Malley laughed.

What we can look forward to from upcoming episodes:

Teasing the remainder of the season, O’Malley said fans can expect more comedy that embraces the aspects of human folly and the need for these characters to come together to solve the issues at hand.

“We’ve got some great episodes coming up that deal with what happens when the schedule gets messed up, and everyone can’t play two places at once. Then we’ve got a great St. Patrick’s Day episode where we tackle what happens when people treat Irish Americans in a fashion that sort of only focuses on the fact that they’d like to drink whiskey,” O’Malley said.

“I think you’ll see in the later episodes of this season that having people come together to solve a problem and get over an obstacle together is really one of the best things about being in a family.”

“I know that in my family, if anybody in my extended family needs to send up the bat signal, then everybody is there for that person, even in thought and prayer, but also in action and doing whatever they can to help,” O’Malley continued.

“That’s what we like to think about families. We like to believe that family is people who are there for you, no matter what, even if you haven’t spoken to your cousin for some time.” 

Extended Family airs Tuesdays at 8:30/7:30c on NBC.

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