When it comes to recycling, better late than never. So realized Matthew Perry, star of ABC's "Mr. Sunshine," premiering Feb. 9. "I recently became the guy who's recycling so I'm late to the party," he admits, noting he was urged to do so by friends who pointed out the ease of trash separation, telling him, "All you have to do is this and this." He's also looking into getting a hybrid or electric car for his next vehicle.

 

In "Mr. Sunshine," the former "Friend" plays the manager of a San Diego sports arena in a midlife crisis who's trying to change his attitude. "I relate to a guy who's trying to be a better person. That's what his journey is," notes Perry, whose last series was the drama "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" in 2006-2007, which he followed with a couple of middling movie roles. "I spent the last two years playing video games so I was raring to go back to work," he admits.

 

Back in the comedy zone, he's tackling one not filmed before a live audience for the first time and also serving as executive producer of the show. "The first thing I had to do was surround myself with talented people, which I did," he says, noting that he'd met or worked with co-stars Andrea Anders, Nate Torrence and Allison Janney before. "As a producer I made a great move hiring her," he says of Janney, who plays his wacky boss. "As an actor it's not so great because she’s better than I am."

 

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