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| Partners stars (l-r): Brandon Routh, Michael Urie, David Krumholtz, Sophia Bush |
By
David Kohan’s estimation, he and Max Mutchnick have been friends for over 35
years, and writing partners for more than 20.
Such a multi-purpose relationship can have its challenges, but Kohan and
Mutchnick’s has yielded impressive results; in 1998, drawing on Max’s own
real-life experiences, the creative duo brought us TV’s first gay leading man in
the landmark sitcom Will & Grace.
Now, much like that long-running hit was the first to
capture the age-old relationship between a gay man and his devoted best galpal,
the writers’ new, equally autobiographical comedy Partners corners the market on friendship between two men of
differing sexual orientations.
Of course, as Kohan notes, their real-life relationship –
and thus the one between their Partners
alter egos Louis (Ugly Betty’s
Michael Urie) and Joe (Numb3rs’ David
Krumholtz) – can be muddied by much more than just that one superficial distinction. “The fact is, our sensibilities about
everything are really different.” True to stereotype, Kohan admits, he loves
sports, whereas Mutchnick’s tastes run more towards clothes and design. But their true spark comes more from
differences in temperament. “Max has
never met a boundary that he didn’t want to smash, and I deal with my resentment
passive-aggressively. It makes for an
interesting contrast. And so the fact
that one of us is straight and one is gay is part of our deal, but it’s not the
essential factor.”
As the writer explains, he and Mutchnick were motivated to
turn the mirror on themselves in recent years, as they have suddenly found themselves
seriously romantically involved with other people. “For us, it raised a lot of questions about
what makes for a great partnership,” Kohan says. “Where are the pressures? What are the best forms of
communication? What are the lies that we
tell each other? What are the truths
that we tell each other? And where do
the conflicts arise?” In parsing all of
this out in their own real lives, “we realized this seemed like a rich, fertile
area for comedy.”
In all, Partners
depicts the dynamics of three relationships -- not just between New York architectural
design firm partners Louis and Joe, but also those of Louis and his nurse
boyfriend Wyatt (Brandon Routh) and of Joe and his now-fiancée Ali (Sophia Bush)
– and shows how the multiple couplings both cross-pollenate and complicate. As meddlesome Louis, “I get to be Max
Mutchnick,” enthuses Urie. The part, he
was pleased to discover, “comes with a lot of inspiration, because these two
guys, in their real-life dynamic together, are so entertaining.”
“It’ll be interesting to mine their relationship further as
the show goes forward, because they put on a show,” Krumholtz agrees. “Max and David don’t know it -- or maybe they
do -- but their working relationship is very out there for everyone to see, and
it’s hilarious. It’s really just a
matter of capturing it on paper, and there’s a lot more there. I don’t think we’ve scratched the surface
with them yet.”
Indeed, Kohan says the nicest surprise so far for him has
been to witness how Urie and Krumholtz effortlessly come off as bickering old
friends. But neither actor is surprised
by the instant chemistry. “Any great
bromance I’ve ever had is with someone who makes me laugh,” Urie says. And, Krumholtz adds, “We have the same head
for funny.”
Partners
Premieres Monday, September 24
8:30 PM Eastern / 7:30 PM Central
CBS
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