Drake Bell Teases His Grown Up ‘Drake & Josh’ Reunion on ‘Grandfathered’

Reunited and it feels so good!

Drake Bell and Josh Peck grew up on television as stepbrothers on the Nickelodeon series Drake & Josh from 2004-2007, and tonight, the boys are back together on Peck’s new Fox comedy Grandfathered. Bell plays Kirk, a tech investor who meets with Gerald (Peck) and Vanessa (Christina Milian) to discuss a new parenting app.

We caught up with Bell to get his thoughts on re-teaming with his former costar and why nostalgic reunions are playing such a major role in television these days.

How did this reunion happen?
I was in my hotel room on tour last year and got a call from Josh, and he said producers were interested in having me on and he would love to have me come and guest. I was like, “Are you kidding? Of course, let’s do it. I’ve been waiting to get back together with you, kid.” So it was awesome, I got to hang out with Josh and have a little reunion. It was like going back home.

Was it different working on a show with a more grown-up tone?
The environment is pretty much the same, other than being a single camera show. It was interesting not playing characters who were only talking about high school problems and girlfriends. It was weird. I was sitting across from the guy I grew up with and he’s playing a dad with a daughter and I’m like, “Wait, but we were just 17, how did this happen? Did life really flash before us this quickly?” [Laughs]

How close have you stayed with Josh after Drake & Josh?
Everyone who worked on the show still keeps in touch. I’m actually creating a show right now with Jonathan Goldstein who played Walter, the dad. We all kept in touch and stayed friends. We’re like a family.

What are your on-screen interactions with Josh like?
They’re actually pretty Drake & Josh-ish, I think the fans are going to like it. I play an entrepreneur, billionaire, Silicon Valley guy who interviews with Gerald to invest in a parenting app that he’s created. I don’t give him the time of day and I’m very cocky and I’m super rich, I don’t care, so it’s a very Drake & Josh dynamic. I think the fans will dig it. Watch out for some Drake & Josh references. I know we threw a lot in, and I don’t know what they’re going to end up keeping, but we definitely shot a lot of fun Drake & Josh references that I think the fans will get a kick of.

Any singing involved?
Not in this episode.

Any chance you’ll be back for more episodes?
Yeah, how the episode ended, it would definitely make sense for him to come back. I don’t know if that’s in the cards, but I would love to. Any chance to work with Josh, I’m stoked.

Do you have any scenes with John Stamos?
I was a huge Full House fan growing up, but unfortunately, I didn’t get to do any scenes with John or Paget [Brewster]. I’m a huge Criminal Minds fan. I was kind of bummed. But my scenes are primarily with Josh, which I was totally OK with.

Grandfathered has already had a couple Full House reunions, and now we’re getting a Drake & Josh reunion. What is it about TV today where audiences are craving these doses of nostalgia?
It seems like it’s my generation of stuff that’s coming back. Maybe the millennials are just like, “Ugh, we’re getting old, please take us back to Disneyland and Full House. Take us back to Doogie Howser!” I was a big fan of Boy Meets World, so I just want to watch Cory and Topanga and TGIF.

Grandfathered airs Tuesdays at 8:30/7:30c on Fox.

[jwplatform MohczQ5Q]