Chicago Med’s Colin Donnell goes Down Under — and gets us hot under the collar — in Irreverent, an aptly titled black comedy set in the oddest outskirt of Australia.
The Broadway vet and Arrow alum stars as Paulo Keegan, “a negotiator for the mob,” he explains. After a deal goes tragically south, the shady fixer flees Chicago “and winds up in the far north of Queensland, in the very tiny little beach town of Clump, impersonating [Mackenzaie Boyd, played by PJ Byrne], a reverend who is supposed to be the pillar of this community.”
A community that, by the way, is filled with misfits even stranger than a man of the cloth who seems to have no concept of good versus evil! But while this rough-edged “Mack” may not be what the weirdos of Clump were expecting (“He sort of skates by on his wit, charm, and smarts”), the not-so-saintly newcomer could be a godsend.
“He’s surrounded by this incredibly bizarre group of townspeople who are desperate for somebody to lead the way and to bring the town forward,” Donnell continues, adding that the lovable locals’ charms eventually get the best ofMack. “And so, he can’t help but get involved in [their lives].” Of course, he says, “The ticking time bomb of our show is that somebody is chasing after him.” Heaven help them all.
Paulo/Mack will have to get the numbers at the church up before it gets shut down and the jig is up for his disguise. The season’s full 10 episodes drop November 30 on Peacock, also starring Kylie Bracknell, Briallen Clarke, Tegan Stimson, Ed Oxenbould, Wayne Blair, Russell Dykstra, Calen Tassone, and Jason Wilder.
“Irreverent is ultimately a story about the power and importance of community, and we hope that people feel the love and the belief with which the show was made,” showrunner, creator, and writer Paddy Macrae said in a statement. “Producing Irreverent has been a momentous undertaking, but it’s been endlessly rewarding too. The team and I feel deeply proud of the result and cannot wait to share it with the rest of the world.”
Irreverent, Series Premiere, Wednesday, November 30, Peacock
