PASADENA -- When growing up as best pals in Concord, Blake Anderson and Kyle Newacheck, star and director of the Comedy Central series "Workaholics," sensed that a show-biz career was in their future. So soon after they graduated from Clayton Valley High School, they bolted for L.A.
"There was just something in my soul saying that you can't settle in at home," Anderson recalls. "We had bigger dreams. And you're never never going to get attain that dream sitting on your mom's couch." Now they're part of one of Comedy Central's biggest hits.
Just days ago, they were surprised to learn that the cable channel renewed "Workaholics" for not one, but two more seasons. The irreverent and edgy series about a trio of slacker buddies who work and party together averaged 2 million viewers last summer. It also has attracted 1.1 million fans on Facebook.
The show does especially well with young male viewers, but Anderson says he's always amazed by the vast range of their fans.
"It's surprising. You just never know," he said druing an interview at the TV critics press tour. "We've heard from little kids whose parents probably shouldn't be letting them watch, and older people that you worry about having a heart attack while watching."
Meanwhile, the success of "Workaholics" has been a big calling card for Newacheck, who has been hired to direct episodes of major network sitcoms such as "Happy Endings," "Parks and Recreation" and "Community." Still, his heart remains with "Workaholics," which he helped create and write.
"I was real excited to work on those shows. It's a cool experience," he says. "But it kind of feels like babysitting. I always want to get back to my own baby." Anderson, who is one of the show's main castmembers -- along with Adam Devine and Anders Holm -- forsees a day when they all branch out into movies.
But for now, he's counting his blessings and looking back gratefully on the day the left home behind. "That was a big key," Anderson says. "So many parents these days are totally cool with their kids living on the couch the whole time. It's like a new thing with families. But you've got to leave the nest and get out there."
Season 3 of "Workaholics" begins at 10 p.m. Jan. 16. ___
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