This Grass Roots Campaign Gets Out the Laughs
The 2008 election saw a major rise in grass-roots political activism on both sides of the fence, but how much of that Capra-esque enthusiasm for democracy has lingered? And now that those who showed up in droves to campaign for their candidates have returned to their regular lives, who remains to proselytize for elections large and small? TV writer and comedian Aaron Hilliard has one take on that question with his new series Grass Roots, a comedy about two low-level staffers on a state senate campaign whose enthusiasm for politics is matched only by their incompetence.
The Rosencranz and Guildenstern of local politics, Miles (Hilliard) and Harry (Kirby Heyborne) are in theory hoping to get their man Jim Clarkson into office. However, the major obstacle they face isn’t the other opponent, but Harry’s naivete and Miles’ arrogance. Full of both big jokes and subtle humor, the sharp characterization brings out the comedy in even the most mundane of situations, whether it be
Having been confined to the writer’s room on a number of TV shows, most recently HBO’s The Life and Times of Tim, Hilliard created Grass Roots primarily to flex his directorial and performing muscles. His approach — writing something simple in execution to allow for an emphasis on performance and character interaction — goes a long way to ensuring the show’s high production value on a limited budget. Two of the six episodes of Grass Roots‘ first season have already been released, with future updates happening on Wednesdays. And whether or not the first season ends with Jim Clarkson rising to elected office, there should be plenty of life in the premise beyond the initial six. One of the many advantages of a democracy — no one escapes re-election.
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This show is great! It’s got a tight premise, clean execution, and great pacing. These guys nailed it.