Q&A: Adam Pally is 'Making History' great again on Fox
Back in high school, Adam Pally far preferred Mary Jane to Mary Todd Lincoln.
Was he into history? Not really. "You know what I was? A weed buff," Pally says. But starring in Fox's new sitcom Making History (Sunday, 8:30 ET/PT), "I am relishing in the sort of newfound history class I get to take every week. It's really fun and extremely informative."
In History, produced by Phil Lord and Chris Miller (The Last Man on Earth), Pally plays a boorish computer-science professor named Dan, who blasts to the past using an oversized duffel bag that doubles as a time machine. Bouncing between different periods including 1919 Chicago and colonial-era Massachusetts, Dan attempts to change the course of history with the help of a nerdy colleague (Yassir Lester) and his new girlfriend, Paul Revere's daughter (Leighton Meester).
USA TODAY chats with Pally about the topical comedy, Obama nostalgia and why it isn't safe for him to time travel.
Q&A: Phil Lord, Chris Miller on 'Zorn,' 'Last Man,' new Han Solo
Q: Reading the script for the first time, was there a particular moment you knew you had to be a part of this?
A: I thought it was really funny that he would sing Celine Dion to (Meester's character) because there are probably a lot of sexier options in history. It was hilarious to me that that was the one he thought of. I was like, "I identify with that kind of idiocy."
Q: The show lightly parodies current issues like gun control and gender equality in the first few episodes. Is that something we'll see more of as the season goes on?
A: I don't think we want to get up on a soapbox and tell everybody how to feel, but when you're doing a time-travel show — especially in these kind of troubled times that we're in right now — it's impossible not to dive into the history of this country, how things were made and the repercussions they still have today. So it's only natural for those things to keep popping up.
Q: If you went back to the 1700s, what's one piece of pop culture you'd want to introduce people to?
A: One, I would never go back to the 1700s even if I did have the technology, because as a Jew, there is no safe time to ever be in except for the Obama administration. If I had to bring one thing back, it'd be a lighter. Like, I'd show them Purple Rain and the first thing they'd ask would be, "Who's that lady?" But I don't think I'd start there. I'd start with the basic conception of mobile fire.
Q: If you could travel back and party with any historical figure, who would it be?
A: Again, I would not go back in time ever — it's a suicide mission. If I could hang out with anybody, it'd be Barack Obama. I would love to share a cigarette with Barack. I don't smoke cigarettes, but I feel like I'd make an exception for that. And I'd take an American Spirit, so it'd last a little longer.
Q: How would you sum up 2017 to someone in the 1700s?
A: I would say, "You know how we escaped persecution by finding a piece of land and saying it would be free to everybody? That is not happening right now." I feel like if people from the 1700s were around today, there'd just be an all-out war. They saw things very black and white, and there was no time for nuance because everyone died by the time they were 30 anyway.
Q: If you could travel to any era in a potential Season 2, when and where would you go?
A: I'd like to go to the future. I'd like to see what kind of a mess has been created or maybe solved.