HBO tiptoes to nuclear edge with 'The Brink'

PASADENA, Calif. — The prospect of nuclear Armageddon gets a darkly comic treatment in HBO's The Brink, which premieres this summer.

In the 10-episode season, World War III becomes a possibility after a rogue general seizes control of Pakistan and its nuclear weapons.

The world's fate, for better or worse, depends on three men scattered across the globe who aren't exactly model citizens: Walter Larson (Tim Robbins, Mystic River), the philandering U.S. Secretary of State; Alex Talbot (Jack Black, The School of Rock), a sketchy U.S. foreign service official stationed in Pakistan; and Zeke Tilson (Pablo Schreiber, The Wire), a talented Navy fighter pilot with side drug business.

Roberto Benabib, who created the series with his brother, Kim, is an admirer or earlier dark comedies, such as Dr. Strangelove and M*A*S*H.

"We realized there wasn't a lot like it (now) in the world of comedies," he told writers Wednesday at the Television Critics Association winter press tour. "Here's an opportunity."

Black described his character, who finds himself in danger as Pakistan erupts, as "a bit of climber. He's a wannabe CIA dude, a bit of a doofus, a bit of a stoner. ... I had a great time, even when I was being waterboarded."

Robbins, who also directed an episode, said he was drawn to the idea of satirizing serious, real-world matters. His Cabinet secretary spends much of the early action trying to navigate an ego-filled Situation Room.

"It's a very exciting form of entertainment, in that it approaches something with the idea that it is entertainment and must be funny but is dealing with content and issues that are relevant to how we are living today," he says.

Executive producers include Benabib (Weeds), Jerry Weintraub (Behind the Candelabra) and Jay Roach (Game Change), who directed the first episode.

"I was surprised at how much suspense the Benabib brothers packed into a half-hour comedy," Roach said.

In the wake of The Interview, which became an international incident, and Wednesday's terrorist attack in Paris against a publication of satirical cartoons, producers and actors were asked if there were any concerns about dealing with a sensitive geopolitical topic and real countries, even if the leaders' names are different. "No. No fear on this stage," Weintraub said.

Other series regulars include Aasif Mandvi (The Daily Show With Jon Stewart); Carla Gugino (Political Animals, Entourage); Maribeth Monroe (Workaholics); Eric Ladin (The Killing); and Geoff Pierson (Dexter).