Drawing on memories of his own childhood is making Mark Critch and his hit TV show an audience favorite

By Valerie Milano

Los Angeles, CA (The Hollywood Times) 1/25/24 – For Mark Critch, playing his own father in a hit television show is as unreal as it gets.

“Who gets to do this, recreating your childhood?” Critch said during an exclusive interview with The Hollywood Times ahead of the Season 3 premier of “Son of a Critch” on The CW. Critch plays Mike Critch, the father in the hit show that is one of Canada’s top programs and is The CW’s No. 1 comedy.

Click below for our exclusive interview:

“You write these stories because they were important to you growing up, and they’re formative, or they’re a great memory,” Critch said. “But when you’re acting as your father, it takes you out of your own head. It’s not about the kid’s perspective anymore. And it puts you into being reflective about what they were going through.”

Certainly, the comedian and author have a point. Playing one’s own father is sure to have a reflective effect, as you realize what you put your parents through as a youngster.

“Memory can be such a selfish thing,” said Critch, a best-selling author who is working on his third book while writing scripts for the hit show. “We always think of ourselves as being the one hard done by, or that was a great achievement for me.”

“But then you start to realize things your parents gave up, or their perspective, or ‘actually, no, I was being a jerk then.’ I think it brings me a bit closer to my dad having to think of how he was having to deal with all those same memories as well, and I appreciate that.”

Fans of the show certainly seem appreciate it as well. The stories audiences have enjoyed so far come right out of Critch’s memories of growing up in a three-generational household and attending a Catholic school that was, well, less than forgiving of one’s quirks and weaknesses.

The young Mark Critch, played brilliantly by Benjamin Evan Ainsworth, is the target of bullies and strict Catholic nuns who torment him daily. In the Season 3 opener, Mark, who is entering the ninth grade and is eager to be atop the heap of his middle school class, is forced by the nuns to get eyeglasses.

That becomes the beginning of his realization that the class nerd never gets to be the cool guy. This story is right out of the now-elder Mark Critch’s memories of his ninth-grade experience.

“It’s all me,” Critch said in the interview with The Hollywood Times. “The nuns made me get glasses in school, and I was happy about it and excited about it.

“Then I got to school, and I wasn’t in the building before people were like, ‘we’re gonna kill you.’ It was a tough school and there’s just a new reason to pounce on you,” he said. “And I remember guys saying to me, ‘you’re going to be killed if you go in there with those on.’ And then I hid them, and I denied that I ever got glasses.”

The story plays out with hilarious results. The Season 1 premier also includes a story about his older brother, Mike Critch, starting a career in radio, which was the father’s same line of work. There is a lot of comedy here as well, as young Mike takes on a radio name to avoid confusion with this father, who happens to be the radio station’s newsman.

“My brother took a radio name, Campbell, and he’s still on the air today (in Canada),” Critch said. “That kind of broke dad’s heart that he would take a radio name and betray the family, and he got pretty dramatic about it. All that’s true.”

The funny is hearty in this show and audiences are flocking to it in both countries, driven by rich, colorful stories and a cast that is so very talented.

“Son of a Critch” is a key part of the CW’s line up and makes its Season 3 premier tonight at 8/7 Central.