Jack McBrayer has built a career out of being aggressively pleasant. From his breakout role as the immortal page Kenneth Parcell on 30 Rock to his latest turn as a preschool TV host who genuinely wants to make the world a softer place, McBrayer’s brand is so wholesome it practically has a halo. The man could probably get through airport security with a smile and a handshake.
But Hello, Jack! The Kindness Show—now in its second season on Apple TV+—isn’t just a Kenneth Parcell spinoff with more felt props. It’s Mr. Rogers 2.0, a quiet, intentional attempt to steer children (and adults) away from the howling void and into something gentler. “The entire series was inspired by how I was perceiving the world around me,” McBrayer explains. “I sleep very well at night now. It feels good to focus on something that feels helpful.”
Of course, when your name is Jack and your show is called Hello, Jack!, there’s bound to be some overlap. “You owe me ten dollars every time you say it,” he jokes, without denying he probably owes a cut to Kenneth Parcell for brand synergy.
McBrayer admits he’s still learning. “I might pitch something a little abstract or too advanced for a preschooler,” he says, “and then we have to finesse that into something digestible by a five-year-old.” Topics this season include disappointment, loss, and even Halloween decorations being too spooky—child-size existential crises, if you will.
But what really elevates Hello, Jack! from your standard PBS fare is its commitment to pace. “We were very intentional about the silence,” McBrayer says. “We wanted moments of pause. Let’s slow it down and see what we can discover.” Somewhere, Fred Rogers just nodded knowingly from a cloud.
Of course, it’s not all contemplative silences and soft pastels. Hello, Jack! rocks. Literally. The music is by OK Go, a band known for treadmill choreography and indie bangers, now repurposed as the show’s house band. “They do a new song for every episode,” McBrayer says. “And yes, I had to sit in meetings and pretend I wasn’t geeking out.”
His musical taste doesn’t stop at quirky alt-pop, either. “R.E.M. was huge for me,” he reveals, casually dropping that he’s now email buddies with Michael Stipe. “There’s the Georgia connection,” he adds, because of course this Southern sweetheart is still down-to-earth about his rock god Rolodex. “I’m friends with Kenny G, if that’s what you’re asking,” he laughs.
And while McBrayer has dabbled in other projects—he’ll appear in Jerry Seinfeld’s Netflix movie Unfrosted—Hello, Jack! is clearly the mission. “It makes me feel like I’m being of service,” he says, in all sincerity. “I want to keep doing this for a long, long time.”
As for those who see a little Kenneth Parcell in Jack’s current gig? You’re not wrong. “The secret to my success is a limited skill set,” he shrugs. “But I like what I do. I’ve been able to pivot and still stay the same.”
And if you’re wondering about a gritty reboot? Season 3, he jokes, is when it all turns grim: Hello, Clover Grove… In A World…
Don’t worry. He’s kidding. Probably.
Watch the interview above and then check out the videos below.
