PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. – Paul Reiser promises to be funny this weekend.
The 62-year-old Emmy-nominated comedian-turned-actor is returning to his roots Saturday evening in South Florida, bringing his stand-up routine to the Coral Springs Center for the Arts.
Reiser, who spent seven years endearing himself to television audiences on "Mad About You," got his start telling jokes in comedy clubs before his career segued into acting in movies and TV shows.
But he always set out to be a comedian, first and foremost.
"Doing stand-up is by far the most fun and the simplest," Reiser told Local10.com earlier this week. "It's not easy, but it's simple. You know, it's uncomplicated. You show up, you talk, people laugh and you all go home."
How Reiser transitioned to actor status really isn't so funny. He made his film debut in 1982's "Diner," featuring an ensemble cast including Steve Guttenberg, Daniel Stern, Mickey Rourke and Kevin Bacon.
His next role was as a wise-cracking Detroit detective named Jeffrey who has to cover for Eddie Murphy's Axel Foley in "Beverly Hills Cop," which went on to become the highest-grossing movie of 1984. He reprised the role in the sequel three years later.
"I gave Eddie all the big scenes and I let him really stand out, you know what I mean, and I just hung back, which was very generous of me, because I don't need the credit. I don't need the accolades," Reiser joked. "It worked out well for him."
Reiser's most memorable scene from the first movie is when Jeffrey is caught eavesdropping on a conversation between Axel and his superior, who is giving him a tongue-lashing in the locker room.
"This is not my locker," Jeffrey says as he walks away.
Reiser said the line was ad-libbed.
He still has random encounters with people who will repeat it, or some variant of it, to him in public.
"I'll be at an airport and they'll go, 'Hey, that's not my suitcase,'" Reiser said. "I'll go, 'What are you talking about?' And they go, 'From the movie.'"
Those early successes led to a starring gig in the NBC sitcom "My Two Dads," which aired for three seasons from 1987-90.
But he's probably best remembered for playing Paul Buchman in the acclaimed 1990s sitcom that he helped to create.
Reiser said people often come to his shows and tell him he's just like his character from "Mad About You."
"Yeah, because I wrote that for me specifically so I wouldn't have to act too hard," he said.
Reiser said he still keeps in touch with co-star Helen Hunt and much of the cast. Well, except for one.
"I don't hear from the dog," he joked.
One job Reiser didn't have think too hard about was joining the cast of "Aliens."
"That was a no-brainer," Reiser said of playing company man Carter Burke in James Cameron's blockbuster sequel, "the fact that I was invited to be in a movie like that, because that's not the kind of movie I would be in, so that was really cool."
Reiser said his goal throughout the making of it was simple: "Just don't screw it up.
Just do your part and let the whole thing work, you know, because what you don't want is the movie to come to a grinding halt when you're on screen," he said.
In recent years, Reiser has also written three books, appeared in season two of the popular Netflix series "Stranger Things" -- he's been sworn to secrecy about whether he'll be back for the upcoming third season -- and co-created the Hulu series "There's … Johnny!"
But Reiser said he still has the most fun performing in front of live audiences.
"It's just refreshing to get an actual live response," Reiser said. "You know, people are sitting right there and you don't have to wait eight weeks to find out if it's funny."
Reiser said he's excited to get back to South Florida, even though he won't be sticking around for long. He's planning to rush back to California to watch the Los Angeles Rams in the Super Bowl.
"It's kind of exciting," Reiser said. "We went from no football team to two and we're in the Super Bowl, so it's kind of crazy."
For those who may be on the fence about wanting to go to the show, Reiser offered a little incentive.
"At the end of the show, if you're not completely satisfied, I will come back next year and take you to see somebody much funnier," he said.
Paul Reiser will perform Saturday at 8 p.m. at the Coral Springs Center for the Arts. Ticket prices range from $25.68-$41.73.