Does God or fate exist, and does life consist of what happens to us, or what we do with it? Irreverenta new Peacock original series, explores these themes and the meaning of community in a tender, funny, yet surprisingly poignant way. The show follows a career criminal named Paulo (Colin Donnell) who is in deep trouble with gangsters in Chicago. He jumps on a plane with a suitcase filled with cash in an attempt to flee as far as possible – to Australia.
During the plane ride he meets Reverend Mackenzie Boyd (P. J. Byrne), who is on his way to becoming the new pastor of a small Australian reef town called Clump. However, Boyd suffers a crisis of faith as his wife has left him before takeoff. Between shots of liquor and handfuls of painkillers, the two have a wild night in Australia, and when Paulo wakes up, he realizes that the man of God has stolen all his money and taken his identity. Paulo has nowhere to go and no money to spend. He puts on the clerical collar and goes to Clump, posing as Mack until he can figure out his next move.
Clump is a beautiful little town, filled with warm locals (think Northern exposure if Alaska was traded for Malibu, with sharks instead of moose), meaning Paulo (now “Mack”) doesn’t fit the bill. The town’s police officer, Piper (Kylie Branell), picks this up right away, and what turns out is a friendly, delicious good time of a show. Donnell, Byrne and Bracknell talked to MovieWeb about it Irreverent and their characters.
Colin Donnell pretends to be a priest in irreverent
“This character in particular was so multidimensional. He thinks fast and he’s funny. He’s a little bit dark, but he’s caring. And really, for me, it’s been such a fun experience to be able to bring all those things to the front and kind of of use all the tools at my disposal in one package,” said Donnell, famous for arrow, the affair, and Chicago med. “It’s so great to be funny and be in the heart that’s at the heart of this show. I think Paddy [Macrae, the creator of Irreverent] and our entire writing team has done a fantastic job of really balancing the scale of the absurd, but also the core values of community and redemption, and trying to figure out who we are as people, fit into a new landscape and try out the wrongs our past and grow as individuals.”
Donnell’s character embarks on arguably the most important arc of the series, as he moves from selfish criminal Paulo to a place of selflessness and community as the Reverend Mack. “I think we see him in a kind of selfish place at the beginning of the series, doing a job that he does very, very well. And when his life explodes and he is forced into a completely strange situation, it leaves him to It makes him take stock of his surroundings and figure out how to fit in as he faces new people in his life who really force him to look at who he is, what he does and why he does all these things.”
Irreverent is spiritual in the most human way
One of the most emotionally gripping relationships in the series is between the charlatan Mack and an outsider of sorts in Clump, Daisy, a wandering, neglected young woman who becomes something of a mirror to Mack. “I think one of the relationships I loved the most was the relationship between Mack and Daisy,” said Donnell. “She’s sort of his young counterpart, and he sees all these things on the path that she could easily walk if she’s not careful. And so there’s a part of him that bubbles to the surface and automatically wants to protect her from all the things he went through as a kid plus it was just so much fun when you work with someone like Tegan Stimson who plays Daisy she was such a great actor and gave me so much back and forth in the scenes it made my work so much easier to feel like i wanted to take care of someone like that.
“But that’s the growth, that’s the amazing growth of Mack,” Donnell continued, “he’s starting to discover parts of himself that he didn’t know were there, that he’s finally able to explore because of the people he’s with and because of the situation he is in.” The common element associated with the religious element of the show is fascinating – Irreverent stays away from theology, instead posing church and spirituality as a common endeavor deeply rooted in human experience, rather than abstract metaphysical questions. Donnell explained:
One of the things I liked about his writing was that it wasn’t necessarily focused on one religion. They were kind of universal truths about action and community and how to care for each other, and atone for whatever you feel may have gone wrong in your past. It didn’t necessarily end up in God; it was first about self-improvement as a human being, and I love that aspect. I mean, I think when you look at things that are universally human, as opposed to spiritual aspects of things, it becomes more relatable, and it brings in more people.
Kylie Bracknell checks on Clump in Peacock’s Irreverent
“Piper is someone who is incredibly multi-dimensional. Driven, passionate, determined, eager to make a difference and make an impact, as a woman in this world and in her chosen field, she has a point to prove, and I think she knows she can do it intellectually. I think she has the qualities to be a detective one day,” Bracknell said of her character, a strong but kind woman who has recognized and embraced the often elusive qualities of the community in Clump.
Piper is placed in an interesting position Irreverent – she has a duty to oversee the town of Clump, but she is also a warm member of it; however, she is a single woman and an indigenous member of the community, and may feel a little isolated despite the love that surrounds her. “I think she loves the foundation that Clump has given her. It has given her a sense of belonging and belonging that one can have with their hometown. There is also the native culture embedded in its existence in particular. So there is that feeling of deep gratitude and always giving back.”
“But for Piper,” Bracknell continued, “she wants to get out there and be successful in bringing something back, so I think she struggles with that. And so in the town of Clump itself, she invests in relationships, especially with her relationship with Daisy and wanting to leave positive effects behind.Once the new Rev arrives in town, which is different from what everyone expected the new Rev to look, sound, and act like, I think Piper will clearly find himself standing out. has the chance to put to work all the tapestry that is part of her – raising small towns, being respectful in relationships, treating people kindly at first sight and being helpful.But also her career mindset has her moving “Okay, he’s a pastor, but he looks a little sloppy. He doesn’t have a license. He must have all the paperwork because we respect the law. Something doesn’t seem right.” So it gets very interesting, very quickly.”
PJ Byrne on the flawed humanity of the true Irreverent Reverend
“I love finding these characters to play,” Byrne said excitedly. “I talk about it all the time, the totality of man, just showing all the warts, and the happiness, and the highs, and the lows. I like things that can show heart and humor, even in these horrible situations. My favorite show used to be M*A*S*H – there are those moments where you laugh on your stomach, sometimes you cry because it’s really hard to watch, and that’s pretty much what this show had to offer.”
“My role had such a great starting point from the very first moment of the show,” continued Byrne, a beloved character actor who has discovered the humanity in a myriad of great roles. “You have a pastor who goes to a new flock and his wife leaves him behind at the airport. He has done everything right all his life, he found a woman to love, he became a priest, he believes in God, but as soon as love kind of taken away from him, he’s having a love crisis, which leads to a crisis of faith. And that to me is like starting at rock bottom, and he’s using the tools that he would use for his herd, just being happy. But it doesn’t work for him because I don’t think he’s ever had to look in. He’s a bit of a narcissist, everything has always fallen into place in his life.” Byrne explained:
So now he’s taken this guy’s money, which he really believes on some level [Mack] said to him; Mack was like, “Freedom! If you see something there’s no God, just take it!” So my character feels very justified in his ways, and he knows that with this money he’s going to “find himself” and see a different side of the world. And he really believes that if he becomes a priest, Mack will learn too, because he knows this man was such an individualist, who thought only of himself. But when you become a pastor, you have to take on the problems of the community.
Irreverent is an endlessly comforting feel-good show, not only because of its kind but complex characters, the beautiful scenery, the quirky humor and the touching relationships, but also because of the way it compassionately explores each person’s problems. “That’s also what I love about the show, the idea that every house has a story no matter where you are in the world. We all go through the same things,” Byrne said. “That’s why I love this show, it’s kind of a warm blanket for the world, saying, ‘I know you’re having a hard time at home sometimes, and we’re here for you with this show, we’re here to go. that ride with you.'”
Irreverent premieres November 30 on Peacock.