Could Jack McBrayer become the next Mr. Rogers with Hello, Jack! The Kindness Show?

Decider

McBrayer's new Apple TV+ preschool series doesn't hide its influence. "And with a mission to teach the youngsters of America (and possibly even some of their parents) the 3 Cs – caring, connecting, cascading – and a fondness for pastel-colored knitwear, McBrayer is ideally positioned to become Generation Alpha’s answer to the saint of kids TV," says Jon O'Brien of the show McBrayer stars in and co-created with Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood creator Angela C. Santomero. O'Brien adds: "It’s not too surprising, therefore, to discover that Hello Jack! takes several cues from Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. Each of its seven 20-minute episodes begins with a similarly jaunty singalong, although McBrayer is seen leaving his house rather than returning to it, centers on a particular theme, and takes place in a colorful world where impossibly perky humans interact with animal characters (albeit of the digitally animated kind rather than the shabby hand puppets that populated the Neighborhood of Make Believe)."

ALSO:

• Jack McBrayer says he takes Hello, Jack! The Kindness Show seriously: “A lot of people, especially parents, know my background in comedy,” he says. “But I do really want to stress the point that I’m serious about this — it’s sincere and earnest — and I’m not doing this ironically or sarcastically. I’m in it to win it.”
• What famous person that McBrayer has met has lived up to or exceeded his impression of them?: "Tim Conway," says McBrayer. "Yeah, no question about it. He was one of my comedy heroes growing up. I got to work with him on 30 Rock way back in the day, and it was absolutely everything I could have hoped for. Then we stayed friends afterward. So yeah, Tim Conway. Now, I never got to meet Don Knotts before he passed away, but I have since met his daughter. So between Tim Conway and Don Knotts, those are my comedy heroes. Tim Conway did not disappoint, not even a little bit."