LOS ANGELES -- Rob Schneider is definitely no stranger to the industry. But the 52-year-old comedian has lacked one thing throughout much of his career: creative freedom.
That's part of the reason why he decided to take control with his own show, Real Rob, which debuted on Netflix on Tuesday. The eight episode scripted comedy series -- which Schneider starred in, produced and directed -- is what he deems a "labor of love."
"I like the freedom of it, there was no timetable," he told Mashable in a phone interview. "We took as long as we wanted to write. We got to cast it the way we wanted and then we shot it the way we want it. Also we didn’t have to worry about language or even the length."
Back in 2012, the actor served as creator and co-executive producer of CBS' Rob, a similar fictional take on his life in Hollywood. Though it garnered high reviews (averaging 12 million viewers and a 3.7 Nielsen rating in the key 18-to-49-year old demographic), the show was canceled after just eight episodes.
With the new series, the Saturday Night Live alum was able to create "an exaggerated yet brutally honest" depiction of his life. He funded it himself for reportedly "seven figures." Much of it was shot in Los Angeles.
"A lot of the stuff actually happened to me," Schneider said of the show. "I think it’s Rob with the boring parts cut out."
Netflix, however, didn't acquire the project until July.
"Netflix was the place I always wanted for the show," Schneider said. "I like the fact that artists can bring their stuff directly to the audience now with the interference of a studio."
But Schneider, who is known for his goofball humor in roles like Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo, didn't change his humor just to cater to a digital platform.
"An audience is an audience and what’s funny is funny," he said. "All I can do is trust my instincts...you have to do stuff that comes from that initial burst of excitement...otherwise it’s just kind of guessing. We got to do what we thought was funny which is great."
Another perk? Working with friends and family. His real-life wife, TV producer Patricia Schneider, plays his on-screen wife and helped write the series, alongside co-star Jamie Lissow.
Their daughter Miranda also stars in the series -- though because she couldn't talk at the time she doesn't have dialogue. Schneider's celebrity friends George Lopez, Norm MacDonald and David Spade also appear in the series.
Thanks to my terrific cast&crew who made "Real Rob" especially my amazing and talented co-star and the love of my life, Patricia! DEC 1ST!— Rob Schneider (@RobSchneider) November 29, 2015
"We basically have some really cool home movies now, forever on Netflix," Schneider said. "It was fun."
If the show's fictionalized autobiography format sounds familiar, that's because it is. Comedian Louis C.K. and more recently Aziz Ansari have seen great success with their similar series. Ansari also incorporated his real life family in the show by casting his parents as his parents.
But so far, reviews for Schneider's show have been mixed.
The New York Times critic wrote: "Mr. Schneider seems to be trying to combine the Sandler-Schneider style of gross-out humor with the minimalist sensibility of current premium-cable and digital comedy, which might be interesting in theory but here has a numbing effect, like the long afterlife of Novocain."
Washington Post's critic wrote the series "is pretty much what you’d expect from Rob Schneider."
Just 9 days left until Season 1 of #RealRob premieres, only on @netflix! Check out the trailer now (link in bio). A photo posted by Real Rob (@realrealrob) on Nov 21, 2015 at 12:02pm PST
Still, Schneider is hopeful the series will attract new audiences as it launches across the globe in the U.S., U.K., Canada, Latin America, Australia and New Zealand.
"It's really exciting to get there in front of a new audience," Schneider said. "People can enjoy this if they know who I am or if they don’t know who i am."