Buddy System
Two small-town pals—and Rashida Jones—bring Boston back to the small screen
- TRIPLE THREAT: From left, Bernier, Jones, and Pappas. Photo by Sal Owen.
Mike Bernier was selling mutual funds and living in Franklin when an old high school buddy, Hollywood screenwriter (and Northborough native) Chris Pappas, came calling for a partner. “I'd just quit drumming,” Bernier jokes, “so I was looking for a new hobby.”
On 3/2, the pair debuts Unhitched, their Fox sitcom about freshly divorced friends. And they knew exactly where to set it. “There's so much character in Boston that can help define our show,” says Pappas (as when Harvard grad Rashida Jones's character unwittingly dates the Celtics mascot). But to Jones, the city's most valuable contributions are Bernier and Pappas themselves. “You can tell they're from Boston,” she says. “They're not polished, full-of-it Hollywood types.”
On 3/2, the pair debuts Unhitched, their Fox sitcom about freshly divorced friends. And they knew exactly where to set it. “There's so much character in Boston that can help define our show,” says Pappas (as when Harvard grad Rashida Jones's character unwittingly dates the Celtics mascot). But to Jones, the city's most valuable contributions are Bernier and Pappas themselves. “You can tell they're from Boston,” she says. “They're not polished, full-of-it Hollywood types.”
Originally published in Boston magazine, March 2008
