Kristen Wiig Gets ‘Furious’ for a Guest Stint on TV Land’s ‘Nobodies’

Any comedian will tell you that the biggest laughs always come from real life. With TV Land’s freshman comedy Nobodies, creators and stars Larry Dorf, Rachel Ramras and Hugh Davidson are doing just that, mining some uncomfortably humorous show business experiences for the scripted series. The sitcom follows a fictionalized Larry, Rachel and Hugh—three alums of storied improv troupe the Groundlings—as they struggle to get respect and recognition in Hollywood in the shadows of their movie star pals. (Some of those pals include Allison Janney, Kristen Wiig, Jason Bateman and Melissa McCarthy, who also executive produces the series.) “I think it’s a relatable thing, people who feel like they’ve been left behind,” Dorf explains. “‘Why aren’t I as successful as my friends?’”

This week’s episode features Wiig—playing a heightened version of herself—who thought it would be fun to get extremely mad at Larry as part of her storyline. “That’s sort of a theme,” says Dorf. “A lot of people on Nobodies get really mad at [the fictional] me.” In-the-show Larry has been shopping an idea for a stand-up-comedy-meets-American-Idol–type competition series (a concept that Dorf says he actually once pitched) and Wiig (above, with Dorf) is furious that he’s taken the liberty of attaching her name to it. She confronts him backstage at a Groundlings show and improvises some truly poetic insults.

“That was one of those days that it was kind of impossible to not break [out into laughter] while she was talking,” Dorf says. “I’ve known Kristen for so long and I have performed with her so much, but you forget [how talented she is]. Just watching her, it’s like, ‘Oh yeah, there is a reason she’s a huge megastar.’”

Nobodies, Wednesday, April 26, 10/9c, TV Land