‘Palm Royale’ Boss Explains Talks Robert’s Fate, Maxine’s Trauma & More

“Let’s take Palm Beach!” With those words, social climber Maxine Dellacorte (Kristen Wiig) and society royalty Evelyn Rollins (Allison Janney) sped off at the end of Apple TV comedy Palm Royale‘s twisty Season 2 premiere.

Evelyn had sprung Maxine from Sunny Tides, a luxury asylum where she was locked up by hubs Douglas (Josh Lucas) after a breakdown following the Season 1 finale shooting that left her bestie Robert (Ricky Martin) at death’s door. He survived, but Palm Beach queen Norma (Carol Burnett) – actually an imposter named Agnes, a secret only Robert knows – wants to frame Maxine as the gunwoman.

TV Insider spoke with creator Abe Sylvia about some of the premiere’s big moments in this 1970-set season and what to expect next. Plus, watch the video above to see Carol Burnett, Kristen Wiig, and Ricky Martin weigh in on their favorite ’70s sitcom and more.

How is Palm Royale different in Season 2?

Abe Sylvia: We’re bigger and bolder. The wind is at our back. Creatively, the sky’s the limit. Once we had the beached whale in Episode 8 of last season, we now know that we can go anywhere.

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Speaking of going anywhere, what was the inspiration for Sunny Tides?

There was a real asylum for women in Palm Beach in the ’20s, ’30s, ’40s, ’50s, and ’60s. That was just sort of Club Med for when the ladies deigned to have feelings. These wealthy men would just put their wives away, sometimes forever. So, that’s based on a real place. And as much as we sort of laugh at Maxine’s situation and oh, she’s in the “wives wing” at Sunny Tides, that was the fate for a lot of Palm Beach wives if they got out of line and by getting out of line, they probably just had some feelings about their situation.

Can Maxine and Douglas ever reconcile, despite his getting her manicurist pregnant?

I think any marriage that has lasted that long, there’s going to be ups and downs. They’re incredibly connected to one another and I think Douglas did a terrible thing, but marriage is complicated and I think there is a kernel of love there that I think will be hard to extinguish.

Will we get to the bottom of the Norma/Agnes mystery this season?  

Yes. There’s a circuitous route that we take and it’s one of the most delicious journeys on the season.

Was there any question whether Robert would survive or not?

I didn’t struggle. Robert’s fate was determined the second we sat down to write Season 2.

How will the trauma of the Beach Ball continue to affect Maxine?

Well, life will never be the same. When big, horrific, tragic events happen in her life, they’ve become the forks in our road. That moment is going to force Maxine to question everything she ever believed in and everything she thought she wanted from her life.

Who will Maxine’s allies be?

She and Evelyn. Poor Evelyn is also on the back foot at the beginning of Season 2. And so, they’re unlikely allies. This is the stuff of comedy gold putting Allison Janney and Kristen Wiig in a two shot. You can’t go wrong.

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'Palm Royale' Season 2 Trailer Teases Fresh Faces & New Drama for Palm Beach

You also can’t go wrong with Patti LuPone, who’s coming up as a guest star.

I am the world’s biggest Patti LuPone fan. Anybody who knows me well knows this. When I first moved into my college dorm room at the Boston Conservatory, I told everybody that Patti LuPone was my godmother and I was lying. I just was trying to impress them. So Season 2 rolls around and I said, gosh, I would really love to work with Patti LuPone. Let’s develop something for her. And we did. We started that work and then I got an email from Patti LuPone’s manager saying, Patti LuPone has been watching the show and she loves it. Let us know if you ever have anything for her. And I said, not only do I have something for her, we’ve been developing something for her and she’s my neighbor in Connecticut. So that Friday we went and got a beer at the Hopkins Inn down the road from us. And that was that.

What about bringing John Stamos in?

John is the best. We wanted somebody who could keep up with these ladies and bring a new flavor of masculinity into the show and a new flair and a new way to dazzle the audience. We’re like, oh God, what about John Stamos? That would be fantastic. That is exactly who Dr. Dusty Magic is.

How did you come up with that name?

He has to be good at everything. He’s Mr. Magic. Not only is he a doctor, he is also a lawyer. He’s also probably pretty good at pharmacology and he can mix a drink and he’s the man of Maxine’s dreams if only she could see it.

Palm Royale, Wednesdays, Apple TV