KTLA

Paul Reiser returns to the standup stage, happy to see live audiences: ‘It’s not Zoom!’

Paul Reiser is going back to his roots.

The comedian is touring the country with his latest standup act, and he’s thrilled to be back in front of a live audience again.


“The films, the TV shows are great, but getting onstage with actual live people- It’s not Zoom! They’re actually there, they’re in the theater, and you don’t have to blur the background,” he exclaimed. “There’s nothing like it.”

Reiser says always thought of himself as a comic first, so whenever he has a weekend free, he likes to find somewhere to perform his routine.

In a time when laughter is much-needed, the “Mad About You” star is staying away from heavy topics in his routine.

“I pop the bubble up front and tell people, ‘we’re not going to talk about anything serious,'” he explained. I need it too! Can we just have an hour-and-a-half of fun and laugh at silly stuff and find some common ground and laugh at ourselves?”

The “Stranger Things” actor also stars in the upcoming Hulu series “Reboot,” which is a parody that follows a reboot of an early 2000s family sitcom that shouldn’t be rebooted in the first place.

“I play the guy who created the original show and now younger writers are trying to make it hip and socially relevant, and I’m fighting it,” he said. “The writers’ room is where that all comes to be. It’s really a funny opportunity to write about that stuff.”

Reiser will take the comedy stage on Sept. 17 in San Luis Obispo at the Fremont Theater.

For tickets and show times, head here.

“Reboot” premiers on Hulu on Sept. 20.