by Christine Zibas

Created on: February 18, 2013

While much was made of Kristin Wiig’s recent departure from “Saturday Night Live” (SNL), her colleague Andy Samberg seemed to slip out the back door nearly unnoticed. Much speculation is made when actors leave the hit show, as many have gone on to even more outstanding careers in movies and television.

There’s been speculation about Samberg. On the one hand, he’s developed a huge following for his music videos on the

Lonely Island website, as well as YouTube and across the Internet (hardly a traditional transition point from a comedy sketch show). He’s also appeared in smaller parts in successful films (such as “Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist” and alongside Paul Rudd in “I Love You Man”).

Now, however, Andy Samberg finds himself in a most unusual place: acting in a comedy series in a country (the United Kingdom) where little is known about him. While SNL is widely hailed as one of the best shows on television, in the UK, it’s virtually unknown. As a result, Samberg will have to prove his mettle to his audience all over again.

Samberg transitions to “Cuckoo”

According to the UK’s “Guardian” newspaper, Samberg will star in a BBC3 comedy series entitled, “Cuckoo,” in which he plays the hippie boyfriend of a British girl, who “picks [him] up on her gap year and brings home to her less-than-thrilled parents.” According to the “Los Angeles Times,” Samberg will play a “self-appointed spiritual ninja battling a proper British dad (Greg Davies) for the heart of his daughter (Tamla Kari).”

When questioned about this choice, Samberg replies, “I just really liked the script and loved the character, and it just seemed like a cool thing to do. I think the key for anyone is to just do the things that excite you. Also, you can curse on the BBC. That is so awesome.”

What about the movies?

While Samberg is clearly engaged fully in his British acting debut, he did recently sneak in a movie role, playing the straight-man role for “That’s My Boy,” in which he costarred with SNL alum Adam Sandler. Asked if Samberg might follow in Sandler’s comedic footsteps, Samberg notes, “I don’t think I'll ever have a career as huge as Sandler’s; he is just built to be a huge movie star, and everyone has their own thing.”

Whether the move to British television will help or hurt Andy Samberg’s career seems irrelevant to the born and bred Californian. While some have suggested that he “just stayed in his own little corner and did his thing” on SNL (compared with the hoopla that accompanied other SNL alums), for Samberg’s fans, that determination to go his own way is what is just so appealing about him. It’s likely that his eclectic choices will serve him just as well in the future as they have in the recent past.

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