Vic Michaelis has been incredibly busy with “D(e)ad,” “Ponies,” “Very Important People,” and the newest season of “Dimension 20.” Michaelis’ series “Very Important People” returns for a third season. Brennan Lee Mulligan, Jacob Wysocki, Zac Oyama, Lisa Gilroy, and Anna Garcia are all back as guest stars. New guests include Rekha Shankar, Jeremy Culhane, Angela Giarratana, Katya, Chelsea Peretti, and more.

Michaelis will also be a part of the upcoming Peacock series “Ponies.” The series is an American spy-thriller starring Emilia Clarke and Haley Lu Richardson. “Ponies” stands for “Person Of No Interest.” Clarke and Richardson play these “persons of no interest” as two secretaries at the American embassy in Moscow in 1977 who become CIA operatives. Michaelis plays a fellow secretary at the embassy.

In an exclusive interview with Temple of Geek, Michaelis discusses the most shocking moment in “Very Important People” season 3. They also share insight into their “Ponies” character Cheryl. Michaelis also promises big things coming in 2026 as the president of Dropout.

Vic Michaelis Loves Showcasing Their Friend’s Talents On Very Important People

Temple of Geek: Vic, you have so much stuff going on right now, it’s awesome! Can I just say, the Brennan [Lee Mulligan], Jacob [Wysocki] episode of “Very Important People” is nightmare fuel.

Vic Michaelis: 

(Laughs) Yeah, yeah, I think sometimes there are things that at the end of our lives we’ll have to answer for, and I do think this might be one of them.

Temple of Geek: The way Brennan spawned out of Jacob in the entrance, I was like, this can’t be the start. This can’t be the start!

Vic Michaelis: 

Sometimes you put things out into the world and you go, I’m gonna have to apologize for that later. There’s gonna be some repercussions to this.

Temple of Geek: One of the things I thought was so cool with the behind the scenes episode “Last Looks” for Rekha’s episode is you talked about how you were so excited to be able to show off her skills not just as an improv performer but also as, a joke writer, because we more often see her playing a version of herself on Dropout. What’s been your favorite part of getting to showcase different aspects of these performers that they maybe don’t get to show as much on things like Dropout?

Vic Michaelis: 

I think it’s different for every performer. That’s very personal to me, where it’s like I love Rekha’s joke writing, and she is like a professional TV writer. So, personally, selfishly, I love that other people are getting to see this too, because it’s one of my favorite things about her as a comedian.

I don’t know how anybody else would feel about that, but especially with the people I know, it’s just lovely. I think with Jacob and Brennan in this episode, I mean, Brennan obviously plays a lot of characters, but with Jacob too, he’s a deeply supportive improviser. And I think that this was such a good showcase of him, within this, odd-ball pairing, getting to play sort of more of a voice of reason amongst these two terrifying babies.

I love doing that on stage with Jacob. So it’s very cool that there’s a vehicle now that people can see that. Especially he was such a monster last season with Hayes Steele, it’s really fun to see that more tender side. It was really lovely. 

Brennan Lee Mulligan Truly Shocked Vic Michaelis On Very Important People

Temple of Geek: You have a ton of folks that have never been on “Very Important People” before with your friend Angela Giarratana and Katya. You have this very cool dichotomy of people that are in the Dropout roster and then newbies coming in, what has been your favorite part of seeing what these new folks bring in?

Vic Michaelis: 

Yeah, it’s fun. I mean, largely what’s cool about it is it’s people that I’m fans of. I think about season two who Danielle Pinnock, she is just so wonderful. I was a fan of hers from online, obviously with “Ghosts” and then getting to see her working and to work with her in real time. It’s so cool!

It’s sort of a little bit of a wish fulfillment of getting to just work with people that I think are unbelievably talented and have that as a way of getting to invite them into our creative space to get to play. It’s really cool. I felt that way, we had Chelsea Peretti this season too, she has come and done stuff at UCB and then obviously her extensive TV and film career and comedy career. It was so cool getting to perform with her. I felt that way about Bobby too. I mean, the list goes on and on and on.

Temple of Geek: Do you have a character, maybe from this season, that stands out either as just the most funny to you that made you break the most or one where you’re like, “That was horrifying”? 

Vic Michaelis: 

Oh, I mean, I think, clearly, Brennan and Jacob’s episode this season. I think I was so excited for this episode to come out because very few things shock me anymore on “VIP.” I feel like improv is a lot about building out a tool belt and then knowing how to react to situations, being like, “Oh, I can use this tool or this tool if I want to take the scene in XYZ direction.”

And there were just a couple of things in that episode that truly shocked me. Brennan coming out with the bear head on his head, that reaction was 1000% real. Even though the camera was back there, Jacob and I had no idea what was happening. I didn’t leave him back there with the bear. So the fact that he pulled it off and then cut its head off. It truly was one of the most shocking things that’s ever happened to me on that stage.

Temple of Geek: It’s him not only wearing the bear head but also holding the body out.

Vic Michaelis: 

The body out front. Yeah, it’s tough. Watch “VIP”! Don’t let this scare you! Watch “VIP”! It’s light. It’s so fun!

Temple of Geek: It’s just a carefree little show. Don’t worry about it.

Vic Michaelis:

Yeah. Yeah.

Temple of Geek: Oh, one of the things that’s so fun is seeing the progression of Host Vic throughout the seasons. So I have a couple of questions about Host Vic going into this season.

Vic Michaelis:

Please.

Temple of Geek: Does Host Vic still have Spencer?

Vic Michaelis: 

Oh, great question. I am not going to answer, as I think that things are in flux with things that maybe we would do in the future. So I’m going to respectfully pause just in case because I don’t want to make anything canon with some ideas that we’ve got floating around.

Vic Michaelis Reveals What Inspired Host Vic’s Turbulent Life

Temple of Geek: So not necessarily no. Great. I love the ending last season. And I love that we have never addressed it so far. That was part of what was so funny to me. You got to have your improv coach come on and play your therapist. What has been the most fun part of bringing in folks like that, that aren’t necessarily playing one of the big guest star characters but get to come in with these smaller roles to help flesh out Host Vic and what she’s going through.

Vic Michaelis:

First and foremost, so Alex Fernie, who is the onset improv coach for “VIP,” was a new addition this season and was awesome, was just incredible. He was my longtime improv coach along with a lot of the people that performed, and it’s just nice having an extra person. I mean, he’s one of the smartest improvisers I know, and having somebody there to sort of bounce ideas off of.

If there’s a moment when we’re on a break to reset something, being like, “I feel like I want to try and do something like this.” And then he’ll come over and be like, “Well, have you thought about having a big emotional reaction to something?” and that’s like, “Oh, yeah, that’s a great idea.”

And also for people that are coming on and only have an hour, to be able to talk things through, especially if they’re planning characters along with Tamar [Levine] and Paul [Robalino] and David [Kerns]. I think it was just so unbelievably helpful, but it was really great getting to utilize him as the therapist. He’s someone that I love improvising with. So it was really great to have those moments there. It was awesome.

Temple of Geek: And then, Host Vic has gone through a divorce. How has that impacted their relationship with Bianca?

Vic Michaelis:

Yeah, so I think the Bianca and Host Vic relationship is obviously very complicated. Our thought process, and I think we had alluded to it in the first episode, was sort of that Host Vic at the end of the season took that job in Hungary. There ended up being one season left on the “VIP” contract. And so Bianca had sort of called and was like, “Hey, we know you quit. We know you have a new job. You do have one more season on the contract. You just have to sign that we’re breaking the contract. We just need your signature.”

And then Host Vic, who was having a bad time in Hungary sort of went, “Well, I’m back. If you need me back, I’ll come back.” And Bianca is like, “We don’t need you back. Do not come back.” And so the agreement was that if Host Vic comes back, there has to be an onset therapist, and they have to go through mandated therapy, and now they’re making it everybody else’s problem. So I think that’s probably how they’re doing, sort of as well as you can do in that situation.

Temple of Geek: Getting to see these little moments of Host Vic and just how their life just has these weird random peaks and valleys. What inspired that aspect of the show? Because it’s not something that’s necessarily needed for the format, but it just elevates it in such a way that makes Host Vic even more real and funny.

Vic Michaelis:

Oh, thanks. I think from an improv standpoint, it makes it easier to improvise having a fleshed-out life and touchstones and ways to relate to characters. So that is just a tool that I have if we need a break or we need to reframe something. Being able to relate to a character is so helpful as opposed to just asking more questions and deflecting it off of yourself. It just enriches scenes in general, just a voice of reason doing that.

And then also I think a large part of our audience watches it in clips that come out on various platforms. And we wanted to make sure that if you were watching it in clips, you were getting enjoyment out of that. But then you were also getting additional things if you were watching it on the platform. There’s things that you would pick up on that maybe you wouldn’t just from watching it on clips.

Vic Michaelis Talks Ponies

Temple of Geek: And then shifting over to “Ponies” for a bit. Can you talk to me a little bit about working with Haley Lu Richardson and Emilia Clarke?

Vic Michaelis:

Yeah, they are so kind and so generous. They often say that people at the top of the call sheet set the tone of what the show and the experience is going to be like. And they were so generous and really caring and thoughtful. We also got very lucky on the show that there was Adrian Lester, who is just a titan of British theater. There were just so many people on that show, it was like a master class in acting. Just getting to watch people work and watch people act. It was truly, truly incredible. It was so unbelievably wonderful. I feel like I learned a lot through that experience.

Temple of Geek: It is a show that has comedy in it, but it’s not strictly a comedy. Can you talk to me about kind of getting into the headspace of your character, Cheryl, and finding that right balance between the comedy that your character would bring versus the more thriller tone that we often see in the show?

Vic Michaelis: 

Yeah, I think that it’s so funny because, for me, my entire experience shooting this show is that it was sort of like a small family drama because all of my stuff was contained in this small world. And it’s very funny because it’s the character’s experience too. Where there’s this insane thing that’s happening all around the character. But my character very much was having this inter-marital family dramedy situation going on. So it was very fun getting to see the first episode and being like, “Oh, right. Right. There’s a lot happening here.”

But, I think with Cheryl, I think in life, a lot of people’s happiness comes, like people’s unhappiness comes, from the space between who they think they are and who they actually are. And I think Cheryl in particular thinks of herself as somebody that is powerful and holds weight in this world and in this space and has a lot of value to the people around her. And that just isn’t true.

I think she’s somebody that really, in any other lifetime, had she been born a man in this circumstance, would have been unbelievably successful. She’s very driven. She is somebody that really is very competent and is just stuck at this level based on her circumstance. I think it eats her alive. And so I think that’s like the acid that a lot of people are getting from her – it’s just that she is so much better than the situation that she’s in. I think she feels.

Vic Michaelis Shares Insight Into Why Cheryl Is Unlikable In Ponies

Temple of Geek: Yeah. Oh, I like that insight because it really explains why Cheryl and Twyla butt heads as much as they do. I think Twyla similarly is someone who, because of the situation they’re born in, does not rise to the level they probably could. But Twyla is much more like, “Yeah, it is what it is” about it, whereas Cheryl’s like, “No, this is a fair; I’m going to get to where I need to be.” Can you talk to me a little bit about that relationship? Because that, to me, is one of the most comedic aspects of the show.

Vic Michaelis: 

Yeah, I think you’re totally right. I think Cheryl’s thought is like, “If I am good enough, if I am shiny enough, somebody will pick me, and I will be able to rise above where I’m at.” And I think you’re totally right. Twyla’s sort of like, whatever, it doesn’t matter. And then Twyla, does end up in this situation where she gets picked for this bigger and greater thing and this bigger and greater purpose.

I think that it drives Cheryl crazy because, it happens in the first episode, there’s no secretarial experience and all of a sudden [Twyla’s] just picked to be a secretary. And [Chreryl], despite being in charge has absolutely no say in it. It’s maddening. It’s infuriating. Again, I think if you were to ask Cheryl if she’s easygoing, I think she’d be like, I wouldn’t say I’m easygoing, but I think I’m likable. And I think that’s not true. There’s such a space between who she thinks she is and who she actually is. And there’s a lot of unhappiness there.

Temple of Geek: Yeah, it’s funny, too, because it does seem like Cheryl’s husband genuinely really loves and likes her. And I don’t know that that totally computes.

Vic Michaelis: 

Nick [Podany] and I talked about this a lot up top. I do think that there is a lot of love in that relationship. But again, it’s just that chasm between being here for his job. It just all eats away at her. She works so hard and spends so much time and has aspirations so much bigger than this. And she’s here for his job. I do have so much empathy for Cheryl and her position. I think her outlet and her method of communication is definitely wrong.

Temple of Geek: Yeah, I mean, it often happens with characters where it’s like, why are they unlikable? And you go down the rabbit hole, and you’re like, Oh, they have a lot of bad stuff going on. 

Vic Michaelis: 

Yeah, it’s so funny, too, because I think it’s so brilliantly written the way that they’ve designed Cheryl, too. Where I think that she’s written to be somebody that is tough to talk to. But again, it’s all written in there that you look at her circumstance, and it’s like, “Oh, yeah, of course. I would be so unlikable in that circumstance.” It’s so hard.

Vic Michaelis Promises “Big Things” For 2026 As Dropout President

Temple of Geek: And then my last question for you today is how does it feel to be the president of Dropout?

Vic Michaelis: 

It’s a good day to be the president of Dropout. I got a lot of big things cooking. And so for my Endheads, everybody that’s been clamoring to get Disney’s “Avengers: Endgame” on Dropout.tv. Let’s just say there’s big things cooking. I am, and you’ve got to type this out exactly as I’m saying it. You gotta word for word. Big things are going to be happening in 2026. Watch this space. And by this space, I mean Dropout.tv. I feel really confident that this is the year.

Temple of Geek: I have some requests I would love to put in. Just let me know where to send them. 

Vic Michaelis:

Yeah, you can send them to “@SamReich” on Bluesky. And he would love all of those thoughts.

Temple of Geek: Perfection. Vic, I always love talking to you. I could talk to you all day. Congratulations on “VIP,” “Dimension 20,” “Ponies,” “D(e)ad.” Just everything. It’s so great. I love seeing you in all these projects.

Vic Michaelis: 

Thank you so much. Truly, it means the world. It’s always so lovely chatting with you. I so appreciate you taking your time in your day here.

New episodes of “Very Important People” debut on Dropout every other Thursday. All 8 episodes of “Ponies” will be available on Peacock January 15.