‘Workaholics’ cast get big break

Waking up earlier than 10 a.m. to a job awaiting you inside a cubicle hardly seems like a desirable prospect of your hard-earned education. However, Comedy Central's new comedy series "Workaholics" follows three post-grad buddies who do just that.

The show follows fresh-out-of-college roommates Blake Anderson, Adam DeVine and Anders Holm as they transition from life as college students to life at a 9-to-5 telemarketing job.

While the show is scripted, the premise of the storyline is not far from reality.

In fact, all characters' names are the same in real life and much of the inspiration from the show stemmed from the fact that actors DeVine and Holm worked at the same type of job as telemarketers after college.

"It was just some of the worst experiences of our lives," DeVine said during a conference call on March 30. "So we thought we would bring that to television."

Holm said the job included selling Omaha steaks, and every three steaks sold was rewarded with a hat that read ‘Top Gun.'

"Any time I got a sell, I would point to my hat and call myself ‘Maverick,' and that's how I got myself through the day without killing myself," he said.

Even the series' set hits closer to home than people might realize. "Workaholics" was filmed at the actual residence of characters Ders (Holm), Anderson and director Kyle Newacheck. While some might think shooting a series in your own home might bring unwelcome guests to the front door, these guys said that was all part of the plan.

"I mean I wouldn't mind if a sexy, crazy fan climbed through my window at night, that was my whole thing with me for shooting at the house. I'm like ‘I want that to happen,'" Holm said. "Basically I just want more friends."

The two seemed happy to play host.

"I guess what would be the craziest thing," Anderson asked. "They come over, drink beers and watch Wrestlemania with us? I'm totally down with that."

With so much time spent with one another - every day for the past seven or eight years, one might expect conflict to ensue on a regular basis, but that is not the case. Anderson said him and the guys are "absolutely 100 percent" best friends in real life.

"We just started hanging out every day and working together," DeVine said. "We started teaching each other stuff and working off each other, so we got super comfortable with each other. It made making the TV show a lot easier."

But a TV show was not in the making overnight. It may seem like all fun and games, but it took serious work to get a foot (or in this case, feet) in the door. In fact, Newacheck attributed much of the comedians' success to their use of the Internet.

"The most accessible platform for us was the Internet," Holm said. "So we tried to make as much noise as we could with that."

After trying out and posting videos on the Internet more than 60 times to showcase their comedic talents, Newacheck said the only thing the comedians could do was keep on trying.

"You've gotta have that naïveté. You've gotta be dumb, or dumb enough to think it's going to happen," Holm said. "Or else you're just going to be sad and depressed."

Getting to know one another was only one huge benefit of the many videos they created. They also touched up on and sharpened their improv skills as often as possible, Anderson said. Much of their comedic work was broadcasted on Mail Order Comedy.

"The way these three improv together is like nothing I've ever seen before. They have such a dynamic that's incredible to work with," Newacheck said. "They're my best friends in the world and I'm working with them, it's just great."

If it wasn't for the actors' persistence, they might not have landed the TV series.

"We all share the same mentality: work as hard as you can for as long as you can and something good will happen," DeVine said. "Luckily it did, otherwise we would still be doing the same thing. Just broke as hell."

And while the comedic inspiration for the show varies between the men, director Newacheck has a central theme he hopes the audience takes from "Workaholics."

"Live in the moment. Sieze the day, carpe the diem," he said.

This season on "Workaholics," the cast said viewers can expect many things, including - but not limited to - "kegnog" parties, rapping wizards, professional bodybuilding and being childhood heroes.

"Not getting laid, you can expect that," Anderson said.

With the series based on true post-graduate worries, such as "When will work be over so I can open up an ice cold beer?" it seems like seizing the day is something the characters will have no problem doing.

"Workaholics" will premiere tonight at 9:30 p.m. on Comedy Central.