In the world of entertainment, there are few performers who have delighted quite as many people as the great Hank Azaria. A master of voice acting and live-action, Azaria has had a career spanning decades. Aside from his work on The Simpsons, his latest small screen adventure is his leading role in IFC's Brockmire. Playing the title character, Azaria bring the hilariously flawed has-been to life, and the show will soon premiere its second season on the network. Brockmire's sophomore season includes a change of location and cast, so fans should be especially excited for the series to return. I managed to speak with Azaria himself on the set of Brockmire Season 2, where he described some of the biggest changes. First, that the team Jim is announcing for is no longer in the narrative.
We don't really focus on the team at all. It's more about the competition between the two broadcasters. That's more of a backdrop to what goes on professionally between these two guys.
While the Morristown Frackers were their own set of characters in Brockmire's first season, it seems that the actual baseball and its players will be less of a focus in Season 2. Instead, Brockmire is going to have to worry about competing for a job against Utkarsh Ambudkar's new character Raj-- as seen in the Season 2 trailer. Jim is desperately trying to get back on top of his career, and he'll no doubt go to drastic measures to snag the job away from Raj's clutches. We'll just have to wait and see if he succeeds.
Aside from the lack of focus on the show's baseball team, Hank Azaria also shared that Brockmire's Season 2 will have an even greater focus on the title character's many flaws. While a comedy at heart, much of the show's best moments are due to Jim's personal demons and substance abuse history. Azaria teased more of this when the show returns, saying:
I was surprised in the first season by the emotionality and the reality of what I played. And this season we've gone even darker, and further.
While Brockmire will definitely bring the laughs, it appears that Season 2 will also have plenty of darkness and emotional complexity surrounding its protagonist. Jim is extremely flawed, with a dismal outlook, drug and alcohol dependency, and a wicked temper; the show's first infamous scene proved just that. After he finds his wife cheating on him, Brockmire goes on a boozed up rant of obscenities that results in his firing. These demons are still very much in the character's psyche, which should allow Hank Azaria to play both comedy and drama in the show's sophomore season.
Brockmire will return to IFC for Season 2 on April 25, 2018. In the meantime, check out our midseason premiere list to plan your next binge watch. Plus our superhero premiere list and Amazon premiere list to ensure you don't miss a single episode.
