CROSS We didn’t just pack up camp and move on. We had a live tour called “Hooray for America,” and we did the feature, “Run Ronnie Run,” but we were kicked out of the post process. That was the second deflating experience we had. It was an easy, natural place to go, “All right.” It wasn’t like we cried because we were never going to see each other again. We knew that we’d be collaborating a lot.

Was there any hesitation about reuniting on another sketch series, for fear that it might tarnish the reputation of what you did the first time?

CROSS There’s always that nagging little voice in your head. But Bob was very, very insistent from the beginning: This isn’t “Mr. Show 2.0.”

ODENKIRK I insisted that this was “Mr. Show 2.1.” We would be 0.1 different from another rehash of “Mr. Show.”

CROSS We checked with the institute in Switzerland, and they said it was actually 1.9.

ODENKIRK There was wariness, and then we got together for this meeting with all the writers. I brought a bunch of sketches in, David had some as well. That was the test right there, sitting down with these guys and seeing if that group would interact the way they used to. Some of those guys in that room were better than they were 16 years ago, by a lot. It was a great meeting.

CROSS It was so inspiring. I remember calling Bob from the car, and the two of us going, “That was amazing.” It really put the wind to our backs.