The Origin of Charlie - A Look Back on Episode 1

Jeffrey Gerein talks about the inception of Complacent Charlie and the first episode.



It all began with a drive-thru.

There was nothing particularly askew about this drive-thru aside, perhaps, from two gentlemen a few cars back in the line-up waiting ardently for their turn at the poor two-way radio device that kept people from their hot food stuffs.

Within the vehicle were myself and my good colleague Andrew W. Sampson (he has a disposition to include his middle name in things and so I met him halfway with an initial). I forget what we were discussing at the time, most likely excerpts in lunacy from our short-term memories and attention spans in the plethora of comedic scenarios we could envision. At one point Mr. Sampson (as I refer to him) and I began discussing the hilarity of what someone’s reaction might be to a hostage take-over on the other side of the drive-thru speaker. The gag being that there was nothing one could really do but stare at the speaker in absolute horror.

Most rational people would dial 9-1-1, but where’s the comedy in that?

Then another idea struck us; what if the person sitting in the car didn’t give a flying circus pajama pant-leg about the terrible incident happening within the fast food place?

The inclusion of our good friend and colleague Bren MacDonald was a happy accident. The man, who tends towards the more energetic of roles, was in the neighborhood. Though a departure from his usual fare Mr. MacDonald ended up being the perfect choice for Charlie; his natural nonchalance fit with the character in a stellar fashion. And while it started out as myself and Mr. Sampson’s concept it quickly grew to involve Bren not just as an actor but as an integral part of the creative process and, more recently, as Producer.

And so there you have it, Charlie was born! Even the name was a random addition and has led to a number of misadventures ever since.

The concepts were improvisational; the more extravagant the situation, the more morose and disinterested Charlie would become and thus heightening the fun! We enjoy the idea of someone reacting in a way perhaps deep down some of us would like to if we, like Charlie, would truly believe we were the only ones with issues.