Derek & Simon of “Bob Odenkirk presents: Derek and Simon — the Show.”

– Now that the reality drama hurricane of “The Real World: Denver” has wound down, we’re expanding Get Real Denver to include more entertainment news and reviews. That includes concerts as they’re happening, reviews of the best nightclubs, bars and venues , music Q&As, nightlife calendars — you name it.

– To kick it off we interviewed comedian Bob Odenkirk, who you may know from SNL, HBO’s brilliant “Mr. Show,” Adult Swim’s “Tim and Eric Awesome Show,” or as the director of films like “Let’s Go to Prison” and the upcoming “The Brothers Solomon.”

– We spoke with Bob on the heels of his latest project, Derek & Simon: The Show, a series of shorts that debuted this month on the Super Deluxe comedy site…

Thanks for talking with us, Bob.

You bet.

You seem to have a penchant for “two-guy” shows names: Bob and David, Tim and Eric, and now Derek and Simon.

Yeah, I’m a creative consultant on “Tim and Eric Awesome Show.” Those guys are really good friends of mine.

What drew you to them?

It’s just so hard to find young people with really strong voices like those two.

What about Derek and Simon? Do you see the same things in them?

There are some pretty big differences between what’s happening with Derek and Simon versus Tim and Eric. But you know, it’s something I like to do. I like young talents and new voices and new ideas. I can’t help myself. But they need to develop. You don’t come to a show fully formed. It really just isn’t the way it happens.

Were Derek and Simon fans of “Mr. Show” or your other work?

Yeah, they like my work and we’re very excited to be working together. Derek also has a bit part in my new film “The Brothers Solomon.”

How did you meet?

Derek’s a friend and he’s one of my wife’s clients. Simon I met because he’s a fan of “Mr. Show” and a character actor. We had the same agency. I met him years ago when he was very young, and years later my wife Naomi said, “You know, Derek Waters and Simon Helberg are friends and they’re very funny together, a very funny pair. They’re different but they like you. You should meet these guys and talk about a show.”

How did the show develop?

When we got together it was very high concept stuff they were pitching around. I said, “You guys are so much fun to hang out with, let’s just go out and hit on girls.”

And that’s how the plots came about?

Yep. We have 12 shows so far — six cemented and six more we’re making.

Does the online-only, digital nature of Super Deluxe lend itself to different formats?

A lot of the things happening on the Internet are just one-offs or pranks, and that’s a lot of fun and it certainly works well in a medium like that. But this show hopefully plays and works a little more like a show. You’ll get to know these guys as the sort of reward for watching the show.

Is Super Deluxe basically the online version of Adult Swim?

It’s different people, although my experience with Adult Swim is similar. It is exactly like HBO, actually. Mike Lazzo is the guy at Adult Swim that I work with — the senior executive vice president. He’s just amazing.

Super Deluxe shows seem like good jumping-off points for larger projects.

It’s sort of a training ground. Some of these people are doing great stuff, but it’s a proving ground, a place to just practice or try new ideas. Derek and Simon could probably work on a network in some form, but maybe not right away. Maybe in a few years. It’s just so hard to get those opportunities in Hollywood. It’s great to have this place where you can do edgy stuff, stuff you’re not sure would work on a network.

Super Deluxe also seems pretty supportive of these young indie and alt-comedy voices

Well, it’s great when you’re starting out and you have a voice you want to develop. But it can be very hard to find a venue to do that. What’s going to happen here is one of these people (on Super Deluxe) that are very new and unique and hard to grasp are going to, over time, develop their voice to where it’s really easy to grasp. It’s an exciting process to watch.

What’s it like working on super-short format material? It seems more like guerilla filmmaking than the projects you normally work on.

I’m grateful towards Derek and Simon and thankful to Super Deluxe for the opportunity. I don’t think I’ve had a relationship with a production company like this before, except maybe HBO. There’s very little money but total freedom.

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For more on Derek & Simon check out the short film “The Pity Card” or watch one of their Super Deluxe episodes below…

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