(NBC)
Sept. 24, 2019 By Shane O’Brien
Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer has expressed his desire to feature in NBC’s new comedy series, Sunnyside, which is set to air this Thursday.
Van Bramer told AM New York that he’d be interested in making his acting debut in the new show, which centers around a disgraced former council member played by Kal Penn.
The new series, which was also created by Penn, follows Penn’s character, Garrett Modi, after he is thrown out of office for a public intoxication arrest.
Van Bramer told AM New York that he offered his services to the show, but said that it was being filmed in Los Angeles which made it unlikely that he would feature. They told him that they would consider him if they ever decided to film in the area.
“If they do come to Sunnyside to shoot some scenes, they will keep me in mind,” Van Bramer told AMNY. “I don’t have my SAG [Screen Actors Guild] card just yet, but we’re hoping for one.”
The series is being filmed in Universal Studios Hollywood, although Sunnyside is the focal point of the show and Van Bramer said that the local residents were very excited about its release.
“The whole neighborhood is thrilled, tickled a little bit to see our beloved Sunnyside become a national sensation, we hope,” Van Bramer told AMNY. “It’s also going to be fun to watch and see how the neighborhood is showcased,” he added.
The Council Member reached out to Penn over Twitter in May when the show was announced to offer his congratulations, however, his tweet went unanswered.
Van Bramer told AMNY that he saw Penn a few months later at an event for politician Pete Buttigieg and that a line of communication was established with the show thereafter.
“I walked up to him and introduced myself as the council member from Sunnyside he said, ‘We know, you tweeted at us. We’ve been talking about you!'”
Van Bramer said that he discussed the role of a council member in Sunnyside with the show’s writers and producers over a 90-minute Skype interview.
“We did about an hour and a half Skype interview. They asked me all sorts of questions about what it’s like to be a council member, what it’s like to be in Sunnyside” Van Bramer said. “I appreciate their attention to detail and their desire to get it right.”
“Sunnyside” makes its debut on NBC on Thursday, Sept. 26 at 9:30 p.m.
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33 Comments
I thought he made his debut playing Johnny Cakes on The Sopranos?
i’m just sad that the show isnt funny at all. i expected more from Kumar. maybe they should have it take place at white castle.
Started watching this crap and after 5 minutes I turned on the Mets game.
wow, i’d never resort to watching a Mets game. must have been really bad.
Is there a dog-catcher role on the show?
Glad they’re not filming here. Street parking would be a nightmare.
He would love to have it filmed here. He gets donations from screen actors guild. How else do you think they are allowed to take up blocks at a time for days.
Honestly jimmy sucks. Hes killed sunnyside 100 diffrent ways. He doesnt care about anything except where the next camera is. So go on the show be an actor and quit your job so we can get someone good in there
Another good for nothing..
I live in Sunnyside for almost 30y and i see how this beautiful neighborhood os getting worst.
More crime (homeless & addicts in hotels), parking spots been lost to stupid new traffics rules and modifications.
Voting against Amazon to bring thousands of good pay jobs…why?
We should elect better qualify people to reeplace this pack.
You 100% correct.
From his own lips…see, he represents himself not Sunnyside. A selfserving politician.
and his head is up his derriere with his “brilliant” ideas.
That guy will sell his soul for attention! Geez…
Does this guy really not understand that he is one of the most hated politicians ever elected….. its amazing how political figures can face humiliation and disgrace with such utter disdain and impunity. Our culture is embracing and promoting the clown /idiot to celebrity status… its dumbfounding .
Narcissists love themselves.
Therefore everyone must love a narcissist? No?
Little Jimmy wants to be on TV. That says it all. He will be gone soon enough because of term limits. He lives near me on the same block in Sunnyside. Not friendly at all. Always on the phone. Wonder how he is going to juggle being a politician and a TV star. He should consider getting an agent.
Well JVB is an actor, though a bad B rated one, the kind who speaks out of corners of mouth & words don’t move with lips. Can’t believe a word he says.
Jimmy can play himself: a bumbling cynical politician who goes to wherever the wind is blowing; a true fraud out for himself who does not care about anyone not living on his own street. Cynthia Nixon can make a guest appearance as Jimmy’s female counterpart. They can hold hands and sing “kumbaya” while Jimmy leads another “march” across the street. They can lecture us about how terrible we are. Yes, this show will sink!
They told him they dont want him politely. He could fly to LA ,film a scene, and be back the next day. Even the show doesn’t want him.
Prediction: This series will portray Sunnyside and Woodside as communities
with a bunch of bumbling idiots.
An insult to our communities.
All they need to do is look at these comments. The scripts will write themselves.
Trying to save his political derrière?
but no.
Of course he does!
A movie “about” Sunnyside – being filmed in LA ??? Oh, that’s going to be so freakin realistic… Give Jimmy the disgraced politician role, he wears that well, and you can stay in LA Jimmy, whiles you at it. Hokey dokey, wink wink.
No Jimmy I’m not thrilled about the series. Most people have no clue about it. It will last a short time. Too bad we couldn’t say that about your political career along with Cathy Nolan and Michael Giannaris.
Maybe he can play the part of a gay councilman “not that there’s anything wrong with that – the gay part”, who lives on a tree-lined street, who had his street recently paved, and changed the traffic flow in the opposite direction on his block, who detests his neighbors, who has betrayed his district and sold out his constituents, is in the pocket of the Real Estate interests, sold his soul to the Homeless warehousing Not-for-Profit syndicate who are bilking the city and our hard earned tax contributions for over a billion dollars this year alone, cutting back room deals, against and killed thousands of good paying Amazon jobs, was the primary sponsor of the most expensive library in the NYC system $40 million in cost overuns and counting in Hunters Point, who is a personal friend of the Mayor and laughed at his constituients when they held the Town Hall meeting two years ago at Qns Vocational HS. He can easily get a recurring role as a true cynic, a slimeball new-age politician. The part he plays every day. Sign him up…
Why so much Van Bramer content?
Of course he does. He can’t say no to a public appearance. Meanwhile, we have homeless people living in ‘hotels” mugging people.
In other words, a politician wants TV face time. Move along, nothing to see here.
NBC can keep Jimmy so LIC can elect a better City Council member that will work for us.
are you serious? what do they actually know about sunnyside?
VanBramer’s office is in Sunnyside.
Hedging your bets in case you lose the election?