An Interview With Suits' Max Topplin

USA's Suits is the legal series that is NOT a case-of-the-week, standard procedural. Instead, it is character-driven, examining the morality and relationships between a group of people at a law firm. Moving into season two, big changes are afoot. This includes more development for side characters, including Herold Jakowski.

You may not remember much about Herold. He is an associate that gets dumped on by Louis a lot. But that is going to change. Not the dumping, of course, but that lack of standing out. Max Topplin, the wonderfully charming, funny actor who portrays the character, has a lot to say about Herold's future. Not only will he get some serious screen time in the webisodes, but he will also be doing some crazy things in the coming weeks in the regular installments!

Herold is the class clown. He takes himself seriously, but he is socially awkward, and is always trying to catch up to the page everyone else in the office is on. His tendency to break into dance doesn't help him with this much, and his allergy to cats will come into play, too.

Herold is the everyman viewers will want to root for. He is a person many can relate to, far less put together than the smooth operators running the law firm. He may be a bit bumbling, which helps bring the much-appreciated humorous element of Suits to the forefront. He's also earnest and sincere, honest and genuine. He's more an accidental obstacle than an antagonist, and he's certainly not playing the "game" in which the others compete for power. It's a great character that must be delicately handled to avoid becoming a joke of himself. If today's conversation is any indication, Max seems to understand this, and have a handle on it.

As an associate, the natural relationship that will be building for Herold is his interaction with Mike. They will soon be friends, and maybe even confidantes. Unfortunately for Herold, Mike's brain works faster than the average person, and he doesn't have much patience in waiting for others to catch up. This should lead to some strained scenes between the two, which, given Herold's track record, will probably also be funny.

What of Herold's love life? After all, the geek is always going to pine for the girl. Max promises that Herold will make a play for Rachel in season two. It will definitely go very much as one would expect it to, which will make for a fantastic comedy scene! But no serious woman is on the horizon for Herold. At least not yet.

That being said, Herold is Team Women, not just Team Rachel. He will take any girl! Asked who would be his dream guest star to finally give Herold his sweet, sweet love, Max immediately jumps to Jennifer Love Hewitt. He pitches that the star of The Client List and Ghost Whisperer could play a nerdy, sexy, socially awkward librarian with dentures. Hear that casting department? Make this happen, stat!

Herold is already in Louis and Mike's circles pretty heavily, and as mentioned, he will go for Rachel, but what about Harvey and Jessica? Sadly, he has not captured their attention. It is Max's fervent hope that Herold will become a punching bag for the two of them soon, as well. He is sure a glutton for punishment!

Max may be playing second string for now, but that doesn't mean he will stay the meek scapegoat forever. Look for him to go toe to toe with Louis soon. Albeit in a role playing exercise, and Louis will put him back in his place. But it's a scene to look forward to, and a chance to root for this perpetual underdog!

Louis will not remain at the top of the heap. He has always had to kowtow to Jessica, but she doesn't put the hammer down to often. Now that Hardman, Jessica's partner, is back in the office, Louis is going to get it from multiple sides. Which means that, like most bullies, he will probably pass the torment down to the next level, with Herold being the obvious target.

Will Herold become the next Louis? It's a distinct possibility, seeing the parallels between their characters. But Herold seems too sunny of a person to be beaten down so easily into the miserable human being Louis can be.

The ratings of Suits have been something to really celebrate. Max mentions that, in Canada, 600,000 viewers is huge. He seems absolutely awestruck by the news that millions more tune in around the United States on a regular basis. This man is clearly living his dream, and is grateful for every minute. Which makes Max someone to root for every bit as much as his character, if not more so.

Asked about the difference between himself and his character, Max has a ready answer. He says he could date dancers, while Herold would not stand a chance. Though Herold would believe that he could, and go for it with gusto. Are they so different, after all?

On a final note, Max would really like to get going on twitter, but hasn't really been sucked into it yet. He asks that fans entice him to be more active! Just tweet @MaxTopplin and try to engage him. If he's half as entertaining on social media as he is in person, it should be well worth the effort!

Click here for all of my Suits articles! If you like my reviews, please follow me on Twitter! Article first published as Talking with Max Topplin of USA's Suits on TheTVKing.com.

Loves Bites begins with "Firsts"

     NBC has a little show called Love Bites that was originally slated to premiere last fall, got pushed to mid-season, and ultimately has to wait until summer to see the light of day. That, combined with terrible first night ratings, does not bode well. And yet, it is an original, compelling, tasty treat of a series. The first episode, appropriately titled "Firsts," aired this past Thursday, and if it is representative of the series as a whole, Love Bites is going to be pretty good. Assuming NBC allows it to continue airing, which is far from certain because of the aforementioned ratings.

     The hook for Love Bites is that it is a series of vignettes, with their own subtitles, having some threads that twist through all three stand alone stories. The theme song boasts only two stars: Becki Newton (Ugly Betty) and Greg Grunberg (Alias, Heroes). Yet, in the first episode, so many wonderful actors play their friends, including Craig Robinson (The Office), Kyle Howard (My Boys), Lindsay Price (Lipstick Jungle), Krysten Ritter (Breaking Bad), and Guillermo Diaz (Weeds), that this could easily become an ensemble piece. Also in the pilot, is Grunberg's character's wife, who is Pamela Adlon (Californication) in the first episode, but was recast as Constance Zimmer (Entourage) in further installments.

     The first bit, "First Time," finds Annie (Newton) trying to help her friend Cassie (Ritter) pick up a man. Unfortunately, Annie's large belly and story of being a surrogate for her sister distracts the guys in the bars. Cassie comes up with her own, albiet made up, story to get attention, telling a guy she's a virgin. He falls for her, but becomes hesitant to engage in sexual relations, knowing he will be the one she remembers. She eventually comes clean, as does he, but instead of splitting up, as would happen when the scenario arises in sitcoms, they stay together. It's a sweet nugget, and a good way to begin a series about love. Attraction is about more than just the pick up lines people use, and everyone wants attention.

     In the second segment, "First To Go," Carter (Howard) loses his job. When he gets home to tell his fiance (Price), he finds her using a vibrator. It's too much humilaition for his manhood to take in one day, so he puts off telling her the bad news, and instead devotes himself to being better in bed than the sex toy. Of course, the truth eventually comes out, and she is supportive. It may sound similar to the first story, but it doesn't feel that way, because a committed couple who have been together for a long time have totally different reasons to lie, and find it much easier to forgive. Clearly, these two belong together.

     Finally, the third and longest section is called "First On the List." Judd (Grunberg) gets the chance to live out the fantasy of many a married man. On an airplane, he runs into Jennifer Love Hewitt (herself), the one and only girl on his "exemption" list, who if he sleeps with, his wife is not allowed to get mad. His wife tells him to go for it, and his buddy (Robinson) is very encouraging. Stranger still, Hewitt is agreeable, having just gotten out of a relationship, finding Judd nice, and wanting to try her fantasy of joining the mile high club. In the end, they get to the bathroom, but Judd is too loyal to his wife to seal the deal, earning even more respect from Hewitt. This is certainly the least realistic situation, meeting an attractive celebrity is only too willing to have sex with you, but again, the heartfelt ending demonstrating true love saves it from being an utter waste.

     Doesn't that sound like a good show worth watching? Here's hoping the series gets signficantly more viewers so it can at least play out the short first season it filmed. Love Bites airs Thursday nights at 10 p.m. ET on NBC.

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     Click here to watch the first episode of Love Bites streaming for free!

Guess who's coming to tv?

    It's spring, and that means tons of casting news.  Some people have been picked up for an existing series, or signed on in exciting guest roles.  Some have been cast in new pilots.  Here's some of the biggest stories to break in the past few days: 

Love Bites - Jennifer Love Hewitt (Ghost Whisperer), Greg Grunberg (Heroes), Craig Robinson (The Office), Jason Lewis (Sex and the City), and Lindsay Price (Lipstick Jungle) will all be appearing in the pilot of this new comedy next fall!  The series will be on NBC, and will concern love, as told in three stories with only loose connections.  It will star Becki Newton (Ugly Betty) and Jordana Spiro (My Boys).  This raises a couple of questions, like, does that mean the end of My Boys?  Surely the guest stars can work around their roles on their own shows, but TBS already picked up My Boys for a fourth season, and Spiro is the star.  Does that mean this year will be My Boys's last?  Cause that would be tragic!  Don't get me wrong; Spiro deserves network TV, but still...

Wright Vs. Wrong - This new ABC show was written by MadTV alum Stephnie Weir.  Debra Messing (Will & Grace) will portray a conservative political pundit and Cheryl Hines (Curb Your Enthusiasm) will be her liberal opponent.  Does that mean Hines won't be in the next season of CYE, if there is one?  Or at least, she won't appear much?  Not that she ended this past year with Larry exactly, but there was hope of a possible reconciliation.  Carrie Fisher (Star Wars) will play Messing's manager.

The Big Bang Theory - Judy Greer (Arrested Development, Archer) will be guest starring as a famous physicist who Sheldon (Jim Parsons) invites to spend the night with him.  Knowing Sheldon, the offer won't be in the least sexual, but it's great to see a fantastic actress pop up a show worthy of her.  Well, she just did Modern Family, so make that two shows worthy of her.

The Good Wife - Eli Gold fans celebrate, Alan Cumming will be returning as a series regular for the second season of the popular CBS drama.  For those who don't watch it, like me, though I eagerly await the DVD so I can catch up, Cummings worked to fix Peter's (Chris Noth) public image.  Looks like that image needs a little more work.

Yes, Virginia gets a no

     CBS showed a new Christmas special this past Friday night called Yes, Virginia, inspired by the true story of a little girl name Virginia who wrote to ask the New York Sun  if the jolly old elf really existed.  It has been adapted many times before, with a variety of results, but the latest certainly falls into the shallow end of the pool.

     To be fair, the animation wasn't bad, and a good voice cast was recruited.  Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother) portrayed the father, while Jennifer Love Hewitt (Ghost Whisperer) was the mother and Alfred Molina (Spiderman 2, The DaVinci Code) was the newspaper editor.  It also had a good message and was loosely based on a part of Americana history.

     But unfortunately, it had many flaws.  Each character was flat and uninspired.  While Virginia could have had depth, instead the viewer had to rely on the Believe Meter on the tower to tell how she really felt.  The bully girl switched opinions as soon as the letter was printed, but didn't seem to feel any point of view with conviction.  The newspaper editor, too, had not only an inexplicable change of heart, but read the reply editorial with such a lack of emotion, it almost warranted turning the television off, not what I expect from a well-known movie star.  Harris and Hewitt, great personalities in their own right, were largely wasted on a few, very short scenes.  Did they just do the parts to support their network?  The story didn't flow well.  It kind of wandered until it had to end because time was up.  Also, what should have been a central character, known only as Scraggly Santa (Michael Buscemi), was largely ignored and forgotten before the end.  His important to Virginia should have obvious, but his once scene where he got to save the day played very dull and uninspired.

     I am not down on Christmas specials.  I love a great many of them, and would highly recommend Disney's Prep & Landing that aired last week.  But this one was only sub par, and will soon be forgotten.