Paul Scheer

Paul Christian Scheer (born January 31, 1976) is an American comedian, actor, filmmaker, and podcaster. Scheer is best known for his roles in FX/FXX's The League and Showtime's comedy series Black Monday. Scheer also co-created and starred in MTV's Human Giant and Adult Swim's series NTSF:SD:SUV::, and has had recurring roles on ABC's Fresh Off the Boat and HBO's Veep. He is also known for voicing Chip Whistler in Disney’s Big City Greens.

Away from his acting work, Scheer also co-hosts two film discussion podcasts: How Did This Get Made?, alongside his wife June Diane Raphael and longtime collaborator Jason Mantzoukas, and Unspooled with film critic Amy Nicholson.

Scheer is the author of a memoir, Joyful Recollections of Trauma, which was published by HarperCollins in May 2024, and became a New York Times Bestseller.

Early life and education Scheer was born in Huntington, New York, to Gail Ann (Decarlo) and William Paul Scheer. Scheer attended Catholic schools during his childhood He later attended New York University, where he majored in communication and education. Scheer often speaks about his early life on the How Did This Get Made? podcast.

Career

Live performances In 1995, Scheer became a member of New York City's longest-running Off-Broadway comedy show, Chicago City Limits. As a member of their touring company, Scheer extensively traveled throughout the United States and overseas.

In 1998, while at NYU, Scheer started performing at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in New York City. Scheer performed in multiple weekly shows, including Talk Show, The Real Real World and the house team Respecto Montalban. They performed long-form improvisation to sold-out crowds every Saturday night for over five years and starred in a political sketch comedy show called George Bush is a Motherfucker.

In 2002, Scheer created and starred in Automatic Vaudeville at the Ars Nova theater, which The Hollywood Reporter called "one of the top five shows in the country".

In 2006, Scheer moved to Los Angeles and has been a regular performer at Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in Los Angeles (UCBTLA). He performed an improvised show based on audience members' Facebook profiles called FACEBOOK. The show was named the "Best Improv Show" by Los Angeles magazine and has been profiled on Good Morning America. Cast members include McBrayer, Riggle, and Huebel.

Television In 2003, Scheer was hired as a writer and performer for Oxygen’s Meow TV. Meow TV was a project by Meow Mix that aired programming for cats and their owners.

Best Week Ever From 2004 to the conclusion of the show’s first run in 2009, Scheer was a regular cast member on VH1’s Best Week Ever. Scheer was selected to be part of a live tour featuring comedians from the show in 2005. Other panelists included Nick Kroll, John Mulaney, and Patton Oswalt.

Human Giant

In 2005, Scheer began collaborating with comedians Rob Huebel, Aziz Ansari, and Jason Woliner on short films. Their first videos were Shutterbugs and Illusionators. Shutterbugs saw Huebel and Ansari play talent agents for child actors, and llusionators, starred Ansari and Scheer as Criss Angel-style magicians. In mid-2006, MTV greenlit a sketch series from the trio, called Human Giant. The series debuted April 5, 2007, and ran for two seasons from 2007 to 2008, exploring comedic aspects of modern life and pop culture.

The League In 2009, Scheer joined the semi-scripted FX comedy, The League, from Jeff and Jackie Marcus Schaffer about a group of friends in a fantasy football league. Scheer plays Dr. Andre Nowzick, a rich plastic surgeon whose naivete makes him the butt of many jokes. Scheer co-scripted a handful of episodes: "The Anniversary Party," "Expert Witness," "The Out of Towner," and "Tailgate" with co-star Nick Kroll; he co-wrote the episode "Bringer Show" with Stephen Rannazzisi and was the sole credited writer of episode 81, "The Block." The series premiered on October 29, 2009, and ran for seven seasons through December 2015.

NTSF:SD:SUV:: (National Terrorism Strike Force: San Diego: Sport Utility Vehicle) In 2009, Scheer created a 15-minute spoof commercial for an action series called NTSF:SD:SUV:: (National Terrorism Strike Force: San Diego: Sport Utility Vehicle), that aired on Adult Swim. Shortly after airing, it was picked up as a series and ran for three seasons (40+ episodes). Scheer played Trent Hauser. The cast included Kate Mulgrew, Rebecca Romijn, Martin Starr, June Diane Raphael (Scheer's wife), Rob Riggle, Brandon Johnson, and the voice of Peter Serafinowicz as S.A.M. Scheer served as executive producer, writer, director, and actor. It was produced by Abominable Pictures, Inc. and Scheer's 2nd Man on the Moon Productions. The show concluded with a special “movie event” shot in London, which was made to look like San Diego.

Fresh Off the Boat In 2015, Paul Scheer joined the cast of Fresh Off the Boat, an ABC comedy loosely based on a memoir by chef Eddie Huang. Scheer played the recurring role of Mitch, whom Eddie Huang hired to be the host at a steakhouse restaurant. He appeared in 26 episodes over the show's six seasons.

Veep In 2017, Scheer joined the sixth season of Veep as the character Stevie, the producer of CBS Morning News Show. He won a SAG Award for an Outstanding Performance by a Cast or Ensemble in a Comedy Series. In 2020, Scheer returned to the cast of Veep along with other special guests, including Don Cheadle, Mark Hamill, Beanie Feldstein, Stephen Colbert, and Bryan Cranston in a live table read playing multiple roles to support turnout for the Georgia runoff elections.

Black Monday In 2018, Scheer joined the Showtime pilot for Black Monday. The show is an ensemble period comedy about the Wall Street crash in 1987 and premiered on Showtime on January 20, 2019. Scheer plays Keith, a closeted stockbroker who was originally scripted to die in the first season. That plotline was later altered. Black Monday aired for three seasons, concluding in 2021. Scheer's performance was named in the Hollywood Reporter The Prophecy"