Paul F. Tompkins, Skye Townsend, and Aparna Nancherla co-star in Dropout’s new show, “MP3.”Credit: Shadae Lamar Smith
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With a heavy dose of 2000s nostalgia and a premise that feels like a Total Request Liveparody, MP3has dropped on Dropout, bringing with it a trio of wacky music videos each week. While the show is being touted as Dropout’s first scripted show in seven years, Paul F. Tompkins assures fans of the streaming comedy platform that there’s still plenty of improv in the mix.
“We shot it sort ofCurb Your Enthusiasmstyle,” said the comedian, who’s previously appeared on Dropout shows like Game Changerand Very Important People.He explained that show creators Zach Reino and Jess McKenna gave Tompkins and co-stars Jeremy Culhane, Aparna Nancherla, and Skye Townsend an outline of each episode. “It’s like: Here are the scenes. Here’s what we want to get to, and then we have so much room to play within that. It’s nice to have that. Like, improv is fun, but it is nice to have that sort of safety net underneath you.”
In a Zoom interview with Tompkins, Nancherla, and Townsend, Mashable Entertainment Editor Kristy Puchko learned the origins of MP3′s goofy VJs, and how Culhane got kisses from a comedy icon.
MP3lets its cast build their characters.
MP3centers around an unusual father-son team of former boy band member Dane Cartel (Culhane), who’s hosted Music Presentation 3for years, and his father, MP3director Thomas Cartel (Tompkins). But recently Thomas has brought in two new co-hosts, the dryly odd Chia (Nancherla), and the ever-chipper Dr. Muse-Tina (Townsend), which is causing on-set tensions and shenanigans.
Townsend (Black Lady Sketch Show) explained how Reino and McKenna allowed her a lot of creative input into Dr. Muse-Tina’s look.
The origin of Dr. Muse-Tina, from her baby bangs to her bleached eyebrows, braces, and beyond.
Skye Townsend plays Dr. Muse-Tina in Dropout’s new show, “MP3.”Credit: Shadae Lamar Smith
“Everybody brought on board was brought on board with trust, and they just let us play,” she said of the production. “The name was established and her origin story, that she has lived a life that’s unbelievable, but possibly she did everything she said,” Townsend explained.
From there, Townsend offered a look into her vision of the character with a visual aid. “I love to do mood boards,” she shared, “And so coming in, I just did a full mood board with, like, a bio and like — what do her teeth look like? Here are three different options for her mouth. Can she get rid of her eyebrows? And if not, can they be bleach blonde?… Then, the first day of work, when we tested hair and makeup, I saw the mood board sitting there. And I was like, ‘Oh my God, we’re doing it!’ They put on the wig and they cut the [baby] bangs, and they just kept getting shorter… I was blown away by the fact that they were like, ‘Hey, if this is how you envisioned her, go crazy.'”
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But what does Dr. Muse-Tina’s big, bold look mean to Townsend? She said, “This is a person where her confidence and her excitement for life, she just wants to rock it. And so I think, like, there was just never too much for this character… It just makes her so chaotic, because she’s supposed to be this person who has lived the wildest life ever, and it shows on the aesthetic.”
Aparna Nancherla pulled personal inspiration into Chia.
Skye Townsend, Aparna Nancherla, and Jeremy Culhane co-host Dropout’s new show, “MP3.”Credit: Shadae Lamar Smith
Puchko pointed out that the workman’s jumpsuit Nancherla wears in the first episode of MP3is similar to the one the comedian wore in her Dropout stand-up special, Hopeful Potato.Nancherla confirmed, “A lot of the wardrobe was, like, from my own wardrobe. So, for Chia, [it] was kind of like, where does Aparna end and Chia begin? And there is some overlap, but there’s also a lot about Chia that I think is a question mark, and that was kind of fun to explore. Like, I feel like I discovered a lot as we were shooting of, like, who is this person? How did she end up here? I think that was a really fun thing, because that really leans into the improv of it all — just, like, kind of figuring it out as you go.”
To that end, when asked what Nancherla makes of Chia describing herself as a “noise professor,” the comedian offered, “I think it’s someone who is just very completely, like, enamored and at the same time flummoxed by the idea of sound.”
Paul F. Tompkins plays against expectations in MP3.
Paul F. Tompkins plays Thomas Cartel in “MP3.”Credit: Shadae Lamar Smith
In the first episode of MP3,Thomas Cartel is established as a loving but stern father to a nepo baby ex-boy bander, and a director who makes casting decisions on Hinge dates. His look, which includes a Kangol hat and a soul patch, reads skeevy, but there’s more to Thomas than meets the eye.
“What’s interesting to me about this character,” Tompkins said, “is that he absolutely looks like the most disgusting person, an overaged club guy who still thinks he’s very cool-looking. But there’s nothing in his personality that suggests he was in any way problematic. That he was just in a boy band, and that was fun. And then he decided to start a record label, and now it’s a TV show, and isn’t that fun too? And now his son’s doing it. So, he’s like this kind of sweet middle-aged dad who looks like a guy you would cross the street from if you saw him walking towards [you].”
Tompkins reveals how Culhane brought “kisses” into MP3.
Jeremy Culhane plays Dane Cartel in “MP3.”Credit: Shadae Lamar Smith
One sign of Thomas’ non-toxic masculinity is his unreserved affection for Dane. Sure, the two quarrel on set. But they make up when Dane requests kisses, and Thomas delivers a concentrated flurry on his son’s forehead.
“I gotta say, that got established so early on,” Tompkins recalled. “It was one of the first exchanges that Jeremy and I had. He just went ‘Kisses,’ and I was like, ‘Yes, kisses.’ And then he leaned forward, and I just I decided, Okay, yes, it’s got to be one million rapid-fire kisses on his forehead, and this is something that they do all the time to reset their relationship.”
For more on MP3,look for Mashable’s full Say More interview with Tompkins, Nancherla, and Townsend on Friday. Plus, we’ve got an upcoming interview with MP3creators Zach Reino and Jess McKenna coming your way.
How to watch:The first three episodes of MP3 are now streaming on Dropout. New episodes will roll out every two weeks through the season finale on Dec. 2.Recommended deals for you
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Kristy Puchko is the Entertainment Editor at Mashable. Based in New York City, she’s an established film critic and entertainment reporter who has traveled the world on assignment, covered a variety of film festivals, co-hosted movie-focused podcasts, and interviewed a wide array of performers and filmmakers.
