M.C. Gainey Gives a Very "Friendly" Interview About "Happy Town"

Like a wild amusement park ride, talking with actor M.C. Gainey requires that everyone keep their hands and feet inside the vehicle at all times. Talking about his work on ABC's upcoming drama "Happy Town", Gainey can pack a lot of information into a simple 10-minute interview. If you don't pay attention, though, you may just get thrown from the ride.

"Happy Town" brings a sense of community back to television

Set in Haplin, Minnisota, the show focuses on a community that was the site of many unsolved kidnappings. The crimes came to an abrupt halt five years before the show opens, which is why Haplin earned the nickname of "Happy Town". Unfortunately, as the pilot episode shows, trouble returns to this community once again.

During a roundtable interview at San Francisco's WonderCon, Gainey, a veteran character actor, said that "Happy Town" brings the one thing that's missing amongst all the shows on television today, namely a community. "Where's the Mayberry? Where are the towns that we used to know? We knew the town where 'Leave it to Beaver' lived. Where's the community?" he said.

Gainey also pointed out that no two characters on "Happy Town" have the same accent, even though everyone grew up in Haplin. "Nobody even attempted a Minnesota accent. I didn't try it because I would sound like a refugee from 'Fargo' if I do," Gainey said. "As it went on, actually it was kind of cool. I shouldn't be saying this, but it would cool if anyone notices. How come everyone who grew up in this same town has different dialects? Maybe there's something at work here."

M.C. Gainey also starred in a little "family film" called "Con Air"

Like Haplin, Gainey points out that there is a sense of community on the set of "Happy Town". "These knuckleheads here, I've known for a while. The guy on the left, Scott Rosenberg, he wrote 'Con Air,' a little family film I did a few years ago," Gainey said, gesturing to one of his co-workers. "It's family if you live next door to the Manson family. We've been pals for a long time."

Although he played the convict called "Swamp Thing" in "Con Air", Gainey is Sheriff Griffin Conroy in "Happy Town". "I'm a loving grandfather and a man of law, maybe even a churchgoer if we were to go that far with it," he said. "I have problems, major issues, and as it goes on, you'll find out what those issues are. My character knows way too much. In the fullness of this show, you will see I actually can be a nice guy-for a minute."

Gainey wants to get caught

Known to "Lost" fans as the infamous Tom Friendly, Gainey said that when playing a character, what appeals to him is getting caught. "When I'm doing things, I already know I'm going to get caught and I'm looking forward to getting shot down. I play dead really well-it drives my wife crazy. She can't stand it when I play dead, but I really look forward to the payoff," he said. "In 'Con Air,' my character never shoots anybody. I'm just a happy-go-lucky guy who wants to fly the plane."

After his recent stint as a "hillbilly drug lord" on the FX original series "Justified", Gainey said it would be nice to come back for one last tip of the hat on "Lost." "That character (Tom Friendly), to a small degree, was a creation of my own, the only openly gay character on the island," he said.

"That came about because on the first episode of the 3^rd season where I'm trying to get Kate to take a shower. She says 'Not in front of you' and I say 'You're not my type.' If she's not your type, maybe Jack and Sawyer are. From then on, in my mind, I tried to make love to them in every scene," Gainey said with a grin.

"Happy Town" debuts Wednesday, April 28 on ABC at 10 p.m. EST