Joel McHale takes on Millenials in CBS' 'Great Indoors'

If early indications hold, Millennials may not be particularly happy with the way “The Great Indoors” depicts them, but it's meant to be a comedy.

The CBS show premieres Thursday, Oct. 27, with Joel McHale (“Community”) returning to weekly television as an adventure-loving reporter grounded from globe-trotting when his magazine's founder (veteran British talent Stephen Fry) makes the publication digital-only and asks him to oversee a young staff — with one member played by Christopher Mintz-Plasse (“Superbad”). Each side has a hard time understanding the other: Jack (McHale) doesn't get much of the online savvy of his charges, while they don't see the true appeal of the places and activities they write about.

“If we are actually offending Millennials and that is the reputation of the show, this is the best press ever,” the typically droll McHale muses. However, series creator and executive producer Mike Gibbons maintains “The Great Indoors” is more about Jack “being on his heels, not recognizing the (newly changed workplace), and then having to re-acclimate and be caught up with the help of this new generation. Which is incredibly surprising to him.”

Gibbons counters the show “is really the opposite” of the targeting-Millennials notion. “It is someone admitting, ‘Whoa, I'm out of step. I have to catch up, and I am wrong in many ways — I think — that I thought I was right.' And then there's a little bit of, ‘Some of the things, I'm maybe not that wrong about, and that's where they are going to learn from that.'”

The former comedy partner of Hugh Laurie (“House”), co-star Fry notes, “If I thought that Millennials were not able to laugh at themselves, then it would be really sad. The great insult would be not to make any jokes about them because they are incapable of laughing at themselves.” Fellow series regular Christine Ko reasons, “As Millennials, we represent the positive side, which is that we are so into diversity, and we are the most inclusive generation. And that gives a voice for Millennials.”

Susannah Fielding (“Catastrophe”) appears in “The Great Indoors” as Fry's daughter, who's also the former flame and immediate supervisor of McHale's character. She believes the show is “very much about different generations teaching each other things, and there's absolutely as much fun being made of each other. And that's what makes it such a joyous show.”

Gibbons gives Millennials credit for being “very smart, and we have that in the show in spades. It's just they have a voice, and it's great — but they also have an inability to resist, like, taking four photos of themselves every day. If something is about them, they will come, I think. And also, it really is an equal fight in this (series') workplace. It was born out of me feeling so out-of-place, and all the faults the Gen X generation has in the workplace.”