A new comedy series apparently finished what Ted 2 started.
And “apparently” is the key word.
Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, as noticed on Friday night by Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports, makes a cameo in a new Netflix show starring Paul Rudd.
In a limited, out-of-context clip from Living With Yourself, Rudd’s character nervously pulls his vehicle up to a strip-mall massage parlor. As Rudd seems to decide to abort his plan to visit the Top Happy Spa, the door swings open.
Out walks Brady, looking quite refreshed. As Brady walks toward his chauffered SUV, Rudd gawks.
“First time?” Brady asks.
Rudd answers affirmatively. He then asks, “You?”
“Six,” Brady says with a smile.
The joke is obvious, but the scene’s connection to the broader story isn’t. The “Top Happy Spa” isn’t a front of illegal sexual activity; it’s a front for a cloning operation. Per a source with knowledge of the situation, Brady didn’t realize that the scene would be a direct or indirect reference to the ongoing legal entanglements of Patriots owner Robert Kraft.
Indeed, the cameo was in the works before January 2019. Per the source, when Brady initially approved the script, the “six” was a “five,” because it was written before the Patriots won their sixth Super Bowl championship in February.
Robinson’s article provides some background on the scene, from the show’s producer. Show creator Timothy Greenberg assumed Brady would cancel the cameo after the Kraft incident came to light. So if Brady didn’t realize the reference to the Kraft situation, maybe he should have.
Based on the editing of the scene, it’s possible that a “Top Happy Spa” sign was never visible to Brady when he filmed his scene. Watch the clip; the “Top Happy Spa” sign is seen atop the storefront at the strip mall, but Brady is simply shown exiting through a doorway that could have been anywhere.
Still, Greenberg thought he’d lose Brady for the cameo based on the Kraft situation. Brady either didn’t connect the dots or he did and he’s in damage control now that he’s realizing that it’s becoming news.
Either way, it’s safe to say that Brady will be asked about it by someone over the next week or so, especially with a game looming on Monday night in MetLife Stadium, and a horde of New York media credentialed to swarm him for comment.