Where Everybody Knows Your Name with Ted Danson and Woody Harrelson (Sometimes)

Guest: Jason Mantzoukas

Release Date: December 31, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode features a warm, insightful, and deeply funny conversation between Ted Danson and acclaimed actor, comedian, and improviser Jason Mantzoukas. They explore the depths of improv, performing vulnerability, navigating personal challenges, and the power of community in comedy. The discussion flows freely—from childhood allergies and their unexpected impact on psychology, to professional paths, philosophy of art, and the joys and anxieties of being truly present both on stage and in life. Throughout, the episode is shot through with mutual admiration, candid humor, and a celebration of curiosity and ensemble spirit.

Main Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Magic of Collaboration and Improv

• Dynamic with Ted & Shared Spaces

  • Jason highlights that his comfort and delight are situational: “When I am with you, boy, am I delighted…Because that means one of two things: I’m on a show that is one of the most delightful places to be.” (02:14)
  • Both reminisce on the joy and openness on Mike Schur sets (The Good Place, A Man on the Inside), emphasizing the creative freedom and collaborative space provided by Mike Schur and producing partner Morgan Sackett.

    "He gives us the space to do just anything, you know, which is very exciting." (03:54)

• Unique Environment of Ensemble Shows

  • Jason underscores the importance of a strong ensemble, citing his history with Darcy Carden from The Good Place and ongoing improv groups.
  • The pair discuss the necessity of trust: “I cannot do this without someone to work with…having that relationship, that history, having that like that facility, that ease with other people is really...helpful in being able to improvise.” (15:14)

2. Formative Years—Egg Allergy & Control

• Childhood Impact

  • Jason reveals the life-defining impact of his life-threatening egg allergy:

    “I was very much told I needed to be in control of everything I ate…so there was a real sense of like, I'm in charge…” (17:36)

  • Discusses how this necessity for certainty began shaping broader patterns in his emotional life, including relationships and risk—noting how this later became a breakthrough in adult therapy.

    “No child should be so aware of and in charge of their own mortality the way that a kid with a food allergy is.” (21:44, quoting another interview)

• Lasting Effects

  • The anxiety for certainty, originally about food, applied itself to creative, romantic and work relationships:

    “I was taking that same, I need 100% certainty, and applying it to romantic relationships, applying it to work relationships…just stuck a lot or moved slowly a lot…just because I was too nervous, too scared…” (22:50)

3. The Path to Comedy and UCB

• Improv Origin Story
  • Began college with shortform improv before discovering “Truth in Comedy” and longform.
  • Moved to New York in the UCB's earliest days; studied under Amy Poehler (“an incredible teacher”).

    “She was incredibly good at giving thoughtful, cogent, absolutely incisive notes in front of the whole class that you didn’t at all feel exposed by. They were always pure truth.” (08:55)

  • Pivotal Note: Amy taught him that character is about point of view, not just outward quirks—freeing him to build more authentic performances (11:20).

4. Breakout & Recognition

• Late Career Breakthrough
  • Jason’s on-screen acting work didn’t take off until his late 30s, after years on the New York improv scene:

    “Could not get acting work until my late 30s…And then one year I was out here and I booked two shows…The League…Enlightened with Laura…both so beloved, but also gave me such access to audiences who just hadn’t seen me.” (28:04)

  • The strong sense of community at UCB led to continual ensemble work:

    “It raised all the boats, you know, in that way.” (30:10)

5. The Philosophy and Practice of Improv

• Improv vs. Standup

  • Ted and Jason explore the differences and dynamics:

    “Standups are primarily…an antagonistic relationship with the audience…Improv is the exact opposite. We need them…Even if it’s just the tacit understanding that they’ve said the suggestion.” (33:05)

  • On audience trust:

    “You have to come out and assert dominance over the room…so the audience knows, oh, okay, phew. They got it. They know what they're up to.” (34:56)

• Group Play and Making Others Shine

  • The “I make you look good, you make me look good” philosophy guides Jason’s work. Loves playing within a group, hates being alone on stage:

    “I need those other people. I’m not out here for singular glory.” (37:48)

  • Ted likens the ensemble to sports:

    “Basketball is what it is, a team sport. I wanted to be a basketball player, and when I couldn’t and I then found acting…because it was like, oh, ensemble, team.” (38:02)

6. Creative Process, Vulnerability, and Self-Reflection

• Confidence and Limits

  • Jason is often “the spice” in a scene, which he must calibrate for film roles:

    “If I'm in the whole movie, that's too much spice...Finding that was a challenge." (43:32)

• Interplay of Preparation and Discovery

  • Ted discusses the actor’s challenge of being “in the moment,” noting the camera spots when you’re not truly present; Jason agrees:

    “If you, Mr. UCBer, are part of a group trying to find out where this group is going next, you can't be phoning it in. Everything it's going, yeah, it's all discovery. It's all curiosity.” (52:10-52:30)

7. The Importance of Curiosity and Gratitude

• Curiosity as a Guiding Principle
  • Ted:

    “My new word, though, is curiosity. Stay fucking curious.” (52:55)

  • Jason:

    “All my characters have deep curiosity. Like a lot of—they all want to know everybody else in the show more…” (52:57)

8. Processing Sadness, Hard Times, Activism

• Comedy as Catharsis

  • Jason describes how improv offered relief and connection after distressing world events:

    “For me, the ability to get on stage and process my emotions is the place that I, like, I am the most at ease…That is where I’ll process all of my trauma, all of my anxiety, my OCD, all this stuff that's…percolating. I will put it all on stage.” (62:25 - 65:19)

• Community and Performance Preference

  • Strong preference for the ephemeral, collaborative experience over being on TV:

    “If you were like, you can never be in a movie or on TV again, but you can still do this, I would choose this…" (65:25)

9. Identity, Family, Heritage

• Greek Roots and Family Support

  • Jason’s parents, still living in his childhood town, are deeply proud of his fame, often tickled by community recognition (“even the dry cleaner knew about your allergy!”).
  • Explores Greek heritage, the contrast of his parents’ backgrounds, and a recurring wish that he’d studied the language to connect more with grandparents (76:44).

• Parental Love

  • “They came and saw me do not very good shows in not very nice theaters and were just like, you were incredible…Always so grateful because then…it was very clear to me. Always proud.” (74:53)

10. Intellectual Curiosity and Prior Passions

• Ethnomusicology Fellowship
  • Post-college, Jason earned a Watson Fellowship to study trance-inducing religious music in North Africa and the Middle East—an intersection of his interests in religion and music.

    “I did an ethnomusicology project in North Africa…music that's meant to put you into contact with something holy.” (80:18)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On set with Ted:

  “Reacting to you is just a festival of opportunities…You are so much. Not too much. Oh, no.” – Ted Danson (14:05)

• On Darcy Carden (“Janet”):

  “Watching her on that show was revelatory…that is just like an incredible episode of television.” – Jason Mantzoukas (16:09)

• On Amy Poehler’s teaching:

  “She was incredibly good at giving thoughtful, cogent, absolutely incisive notes…They were always pure truth.” – Jason Mantzoukas (08:55)

• On his childhood control:

  “No child should be so aware of and in charge of their own mortality the way that a kid with a food allergy is.” – Jason Mantzoukas (21:44)

• On creative process:

  “Sometimes I’m like, why am I even looking at me right now? I’m not the one talking…sometimes I see Jason the improviser there, instead of Apollo…” – Jason Mantzoukas (56:16)

• On curiosity:

  “Stay fucking curious.” – Ted Danson (52:55)

• On gratitude and legacy:

  “You won’t probably ever know the extent to the ripples that you’ve put out into the world that make people feel good. I am…You are a marvel.” – Ted Danson (86:14)

Key Timestamps

• Improv and Comfort with Ted: 02:14 – 03:42
• Mike Schur & Ensemble Magic: 03:42 – 04:54
• Amy Poehler as Teacher / Improv Roots: 08:22 – 12:45
• Egg Allergy & Childhood Confidence: 17:36 – 22:14
• Learning Identity Through Therapy: 21:44 – 24:11
• Improvisation vs Standup / Audience Dynamics: 33:05 – 35:10
• On Working with Darcy Carden: 15:14 – 16:42
• Group vs. Solo Work: 37:48 – 38:57
• Career Breakthrough & UCB Community: 28:04 – 31:23
• On Being Typecast vs. Leading Roles: 40:54 – 41:41
• Creative Calibration on Set: 68:00 – 69:09
• Comedy as Catharsis (Post-Debate Show): 62:25 – 65:19
• Ethnomusicology Fellowship: 80:18 – 84:49
• Ted’s Reflection on Jason’s Impact: 85:48 – 86:48

Tone and Language

Throughout, the tone is candid, affable, compassionate, and deeply respectful—filled with laughter and moments of earnest reflection. Both speakers are honest about their anxieties and joys, never shying away from vulnerability.

Final Reflections

Jason and Ted close the episode marveling at the joys of collaboration, artistic purpose, and mutual admiration. The episode serves as a master class not only on the culture and technique of modern American comedy and improv, but on the ways authenticity, curiosity, and ensemble spirit transcend the stage.

For Listeners

Whether you’re a lover of improv, fascinated by the ins and outs of creative identities, or simply seeking some comfort and depth amid the chaos, this conversation is an invitation into how humor, vulnerability, and curiosity can shape a meaningful life—and why it always helps to have good friends (and scene partners) along the way.