INTERVIEW: Comedian Steve Byrne Talks 'Sullivan & Son' Season 3, Comedy Clubs and His New Netflix Special 'Champion'

Over the past few years, TBS has grown in leaps in terms of original content, morphing from a network of reruns to one that produces quality material viewers are actually searching for. Perhaps part of the reason for this change is comedian Steve Byrne's popular series Sullivan & Son, a sitcom of his creation (alongside Executive Producers Vince Vaughn, Peter Billingsley and Rob Long), in which he plays Steve Sullivan, a longtime lawyer who quits life in the big city and heads home to run the family bar.

The show carries a cast of legendary comedy icons, including Brian Doyle Murray and Christine Ebersole, as well as an impressive cast of fellow stand ups: Roy Wood Jr., Owen Benjamin and Ahmed Ahmed.

The third season of Sullivan & Son begins on June 24. To kick if off, Byrne recently spoke with MStarsNews about the show, his newest stand up special on Netflix and how working in television has made him a better comedian.

MStarsNews: Sullivan & Son begins its third season on June 24. Are you a little more at ease going into a new season as opposed to starting a brand new series?

Steve Byrne: I'd say just a little bit. It's not easier because the challenge to come up with interesting stories and something solid is always there, but I think what is more defined for us now are the characters and what makes them each unique. We know the relationships and how each interacts so there's a kind of freedom there.

During the first season you're usually trying to figure out who the characters are and what works and season two is somewhat of a continuation of that. I think now we've learned from both our mistakes and our successes so we use those going into this season. And I have to say... this season is by far our best yet. I can't wait for people to check it out.

MS: Because of that there's a sense of familiarity there, which I would think could lend itself to a looser atmosphere. Does that make working on the show more fun?

SB: Absolutely. I think everybody is accustomed to each other now. We're all pretty close both on and off the screen so it really is like a family atmosphere. And I know that sounds cliché but it definitely is true. This show is such a great time.

I've actually had people who have done guest spots come up to me afterwards and say it's never like that, which is pretty special. Because of that, it helps me enjoy it more. I now know we're doing something right.

MS: Not only do you star on the show but you're also involved in the backend: the writing, producing, editing, etc.

SB: Yeah, I spend a lot of time in pre-production in the writers room but once we start filming I try to separate myself and focus on my "acting." [laughs] As a comic, I'm not used to acting but I think over time I've gotten better at it.

When the show first started I had no idea what I was doing. [laughs] I was a guy who was used to performing in stand up clubs and then all of a sudden I was the star of a TV show. I didn't really acknowledge that when I first went into it but over the second and now the third season I've tried to get better at it.

MS: Not to mention that as a comic you're used to it being just you. Stand ups don't perform with other people. Then you were put into a position to work with a lot of other people at once. In your case, legends like Dan Lauria, Christine Ebersole, Brian Doyle Murray, etc. That's a great platform to learn.

SB: Definitely! Look who I'm learning from. It's incredible. And you know, you are right... I'm used to being a lone gun as a stand up. On top of that, it's a show that I developed and created and I'm the straight man. I'm the straight man on my own show. [laughs]

Most of the time my job is to set the jokes up, which brings it's own pressures because I can't fail them... mainly because they never fail us. The cast always knocks it out of the park. It's crazy how good everyone is.

MS: Was that the idea from the start, making you the straight man?

SB: It was. I think I have a pretty decent moral compass. I'm not really all that negative and I have a great relationship with my family, which may or may not be uncommon in comedy, but there comes a time where you have to think am I an insane man in a sane world or the converse? I chose being a straight man.

Also, we have an ensemble cast, which lends itself to a lot of funny. Each one of the characters is to a degree an extension of my stand up. Hank is very racial and a lot of my humor resonates there. The sexual aspect comes out through Carol. The family aspect comes out through my mom. In that sense, I don't have to be anything other than the straight man because much of the craziness going on around me is an extension of me.

MS: You're obviously an accomplished stand up, but has working on the show taught you anything about comedy?

SB: I'll tell ya, I think writing on the show has made me a better writer as a comedian. I see how much work goes into writing an episode of television. These guys are so gifted and incredibly humorous. When I got there I started thinking of it as a college class. I couldn't believe I was in the room with the guys who wrote on Home Improvement, Fraiser, and Cheers. I still can't believe it. I just observed for a while and that made me write a lot more. So, from that experience, and working alongside Roy, Owen and Ahmed on both the road and the show, everyone inspired me to be a better comedian.

I was thinking about taping another hour special after season one actually. I had material but I thought to myself I can do better as a writer. So I scrapped everything, started over and what came out is my new special, Champion. I think this special has jokes that are much better crafted. I'm really proud of it.

MS: Speaking of, the special is now out on Netflix. How did you enjoy filming it?

SB: It was really great! I felt prepared largely because of Sullivan & Son. I also really enjoyed it because whenever I do stand up it just brings me back to where I started. Leading up to this special, I spent so much time in comedy clubs, and that gave me a higher appreciation for them, which is funny because the special is shot in a theater. But comedians need comedy clubs. If you're a name and are performing in arenas, you still need to work out those jokes somewhere... and that place is the comedy club. No matter where you are in your career as a comedian, you're always going to need that comedy club.

MS: That's an interesting point. I heard Dave Attell on Never Not Funny a couple of weeks back and he mentioned that the comedy club is where every comedian starts and ends.

SB: He's 100% right. I was at the Comedy Store last week and I saw Andrew Dice Clay there. This guy was the first comedian to play Madison Square Garden, arguably one of the biggest comedians in the world at one time, and here he was at a comedy club working out new material. Of course, there are some comics who will sustain the theater performance; people like Bill Cosby, but chances are there is only going to be a handful of guys who will sustain that theater no matter what.

For most of us, I think we all have to accept our fate. But the truth is none of us can really complain. I mean... we do comedy for a living. It's pretty amazing.

Be sure to follow Steve on Twitter and tune in for the season 3 premiere of Sullivan & Son on June 24 on TBS | 10pm EST. 

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