Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with Johnno Wilson and Michael Strassner

Johnno Wilson and Michael Strassner are the creative masterminds behind Johnno and Michael Try. The dynamic duo not only star but also produce, write, direct, and edit the laugh-out-loud comedy sketch series available on Amazon Prime. Pop Culturalist caught up with Johnno and Michael to chat about Johnno and Michael Try, now in its second season, and the story behind how this partnership formed.

PC: Tell us the backstory on how the two of you met and how this partnership formed.
Johnno: Michael and I both moved to LA around the same time. I think I may have been here a little before Michael, but we were both getting involved in the improv scene and met in between two theaters. There was a small spot called the Neon Venus, where we each performed with a team every Friday night. We further developed our friendship and partnership when we started working together at the Groundlings. We had a couple of classes there and formed a two-man improv team. We’d do like twenty-minute sets. We decided to name our team, kind of in an ironic way, Johnno and Michael Try Improv.

We’d been doing improv for a while, but we were like, “Let’s just say we’re trying improv and mess with the normal mechanics of an improv show.” Instead of clapping and clearing or swiping a scene, we’d actually yell out what we were going to do next. We found that we had a good rapport. We’d make eye contact with each other and know what we would do with the next scene. We’d scream at each other “flashback,” and then we’d go into the next scene. It was making fun of the normal mechanics of an improv show.

Michael: It was very high energy, but also probably very scary for the audience to see two men screaming at each other when we would change scenes. [laughs]

Johnno: [laughs] Yes! I hope they weren’t scared of us.

Michael: We were screaming eye to eye to each other. Once we went to the Groundlings, we formed an even closer bond. We were in Sunday Company together and eventually tested for SNL together.

Johnno: Yeah! For those who have not heard of the Groundlings, it’s where a lot of big comedic stars come from. All the way back from Phil Hartman to Will Ferrell to Melissa McCarthy to Kristen Wiig. It’s like a program. When you get to the top of the program, it’s called Sunday Company. Michael and I were part of three different companies. You’d switch over every six months and write sketches during the week. On Sundays, you’d put on a new sketch show. It really is like Saturday Night Live. You’re pitching and writing all week, and then you put on a live show on Sunday.

SNL will come and scout at the Groundlings a lot. In 2017, they came and scouted us. Michael and I had to do our own thing in front of them. We each had five to seven minutes of impressions and characters. They asked Michael and I to fly out to New York twice to have network tests.

It didn’t work out for us, but when we got back, we were like, “This is proof that we’re doing something right.” We decided to try things on our own and see what we were able to accomplish.

Michael: We already had the name because we were doing improv. That’s how Johnno and Michael Try became to be what it is now.

PC: You guys wrote, starred, directed, and produced Johnno and Michael Try. How challenging is it for you to wear so many hats? Is one easier than the other? Is one more difficult?

Michael: Johnno also edits everything we do. I think we’re a great team because we’re open to trying things and we trust each other. We divide up these responsibilities pretty equally because we know the final product that we want.

Johnno: When one of us has a more logical pitch, the other person will have a crazy spin to it. We switch off in that way. In Season 1, Michael was like, “I think we should do a sleepover. We’ll have all the things that kids do at sleepovers, but we’ll be adults doing it.” Then I was like, “What if it’s haunted? What if there’s a girl who got into a car accident and lands on my front step. Now she thinks she lives there, but she’s also obsessed with car insurance and everything involving cars.”

We have this great partnership because we’re able to take each other’s ideas and bring them to the nth degree.

Michael: Yeah! There are no bad ideas. We throw everything out at each other because some of them have worked. 



PC: What’s one thing you learned about each other through this process that you didn’t know beforehand?

Johnno: That’s a good question. I’ve always known Michael is a funny dude, but his brain goes to crazy places. My first reaction sometimes is like, “That’s too insane.” But then when we actually continue to talk about it, I’m like, “Oh no, that totally works.” I wish my brain went to that nutty place all the time.

Michael: No, you don’t. [laughs]

Johnno: He has a different way of thinking and it makes our stuff that much better.

Michael: Johnno is an all-time pro. I feel like I’m working with the best in the business. When I was watching him at Groundlings, I would watch and be like, “That’s who I’d like to work hard to get to be.” He always has everyone in the palm of his hands comedically. Then getting to work with him, he’s so giving to the other person. He’s been a big brother to me. He’s a few years older than me, but I don’t know if he wants that out there. [laugh]

Johnno: I don’t care.

Michael: He’s been a big, huge support system in all aspects of my life. He’s a true friend and brother. That’s the most rewarding part about this whole experience is getting to work with my best friend. 



PC: For readers who may not be familiar with the series, what’s your elevator pitch for Johnno and Michael Try?
Johnno: Johnno and Michael Try is a comedy sketch series in which two best friends try a different genre or endeavor in every episode. We could be trying a sleepover one day and then trying to run for president. None of them are connected, but the only through-line is that Johnno and Michael always have each other’s backs no matter what we’re “trying.”

Michael: Exactly. Sometimes we go meta, sometimes we go character, but no matter what, it’s Johnno and Michael.

Johnno: There no political skew or social commentary. We’re just trying to be silly and funny and give people a little joy in their day. That’s our main thing. We don’t want to go heavy-handed with anything. We want to be goofy and make people laugh.

Michael: Exactly. Comedy is such a different world right now. When I was growing up, it was just funny people doing funny things, and I miss that. I think our show brings that back.

PC: If you had to pick one episode that best encompasses the series, which would it be and why?

Johnno: That’s tough.

Michael: My favorite one in Season 2 is “Public Access,” which is a very dark one. But I love it because I feel like it’s some of the best acting I’ve ever seen Johnno do. He’s so mad at me throughout, and it’s so hard not to laugh. It’s a tough question because I also love the joy that we have in “Sleepover.”

Johnno: I think “Sleepover” from Season 1 or “High School” from Season 2. But in “Sleepover,” you see two buddies who are going to have fun doing very normal things. Then all of a sudden, the sketch takes a total turn, and where it goes is completely unexpected. I think that’s what characterizes the show. It’s a very simple premise, and then we go where you don’t expect. 



PC: You’ve done a lot in two seasons. What’s left?
Michael: Everything! We have a Google Doc with all our ideas. It’s probably open to the public. [laughs] But we have tons of different ones that didn’t make this season. We have superheroes that go into a crazy area.

Johnno: We also have friends who are pitching us. I was working on a film last year and there were some boxers from South Boston who were really tough. One of them DMed me and said, “When are Johnno and Michael going to Fight Club?” We can really do anything.

Michael: My fantasy football league was like, “Johnno and Michael Try a juice cleanse.” I was like, “What’s the joke?” They were like, “You try a juice cleanse!” [laughs] I was like, “How about you guys let us stick to the comedy.” [laughs]

Johnno: Yeah, as Michael said, we can try anything.

PC: What’s been the biggest takeaway from this experience?

Johnno: Trust yourself! When you think it’s too hard to do something, it’s not. Everyone says it now, but creating your own stuff is the way to get the ball moving. We’ve sent stuff to a couple of friends who worked at different companies and they were like, “Well, here’s the thing. We don’t know if it’s exactly what we’re looking for. Maybe you could do it more with a through-line.” Michael and I said, “No, we’re going to do what we think is funny and what we want to do with this show.” The biggest thing is being authentic to yourself and what you find interesting or funny. It will resonate with other people.

Michael: Exactly! Don’t hate, create.

Stream Season 1 and 2 of Johnno and Michael Try on Amazon Prime today.