Why would an internet sensation like Daniel Thrasher want to star in a television sitcom?
“The allure for me is to steal,” the influencer admits. “I’m going to ask the crew questions about what kind of cameras they’ve got and their lights and all that.”
In other words, “Dinner with the Parents” is a classroom, enabling the 31-year-old to learn from those who have been in the business for years.
In the sitcom, he plays younger brother Gregg, who lives to thwart his older brother, David, played by Henry Hall.
Daniel Thrasher and Henry Hall play battling brothers in "Dinner with the Parents."
In real life, Thrasher has an older brother and two older sisters. “I’m the youngest of four and I’m extremely competitive,” he says.
For the series, “I had to access a dark hidden past version of myself to be able to bring out my younger sibling energy. Gregg definitely stays winning.”
The brothers spar at weekly dinners (thus the title) which often involve a host of friends and relatives. Gregg’s goal is to make David look bad in front of all of them. In the opener, for example, David’s girlfriend decides not to join the family for dinner. Concerned he’ll look bad, David asks a food deliverer to pose as his girlfriend. Gregg, naturally, is suspicious.
In another episode, the brothers streak.
“In order to do this show, I asked that that was a part of it,” Thrasher teases. “I really demanded that there would be nudity – not just for me but only if me and my brother’s character could be nude.”
“This show doubles as a joint ‘Only Fans’ for me and Daniel,” Hall adds.
Like Thrasher, Hall finds similarities between the TV family and his own. “I was familiar with the pranking and all the hijinks and that kind of stuff,” he says. “Anybody who has any kind of family dynamic is going to be able to relate to this.”
Daniel Thrasher, left, and Henry Hall, second from right, play dueling brothers in the sitcom "Dinner with the Parents."
Like the Langer brothers on “Dinner with the Parents,” the Hall brothers were highly competitive.
“We would compete playing basketball when we were little kids,” Hall says. “But then my brother decided to become 6’5” and really, really good at basketball, so that ended pretty quickly.”
His brother, Charlie, is also an actor, starring on “Sex Lives of College Girls.” Their parents are Emmy winner Julia Louis-Dreyfus and writer/comedian Brad Hall.
On “Dinner with the Parents,” Michaela Watkins and Dan Bakkedahl play Gregg and David Langer’s parents.
Thrasher and Hall, Watkins says, “are just such mega-talents. Everybody is so musical that they’re just a fun hang. I’ve worked with a lot of kids and I just have so much fun with them. I’m in awe of their talent.”
Sioux City Journal entertainment editor Bruce Miller talks with Dan Bakkedahl and Michaela Watkins who play parents Harvey and Jane Langer on the series "Dinner With The Parents."
To get a sense of what their TV family dynamic might be, Watkins and Bakkedahl did a “deep dive” on the TV sons’ backgrounds.
“What do I know about YouTube stars?” Watkins admits. “When we started working with Daniel, I was like, ‘Oh, this is your first TV show? That’s great.’ And then I realized he had millions of followers. And then we started watching his videos.”
Both Hall and Thrasher are accomplished musicians.
“Now, I’m fan-girling out on these two kids,” Watkins says.
“Dinner with the Parents” airs on Amazon Freevee.
