Marco Island Comedy Club Seafood Restaurant

Kevin Nealon returns to Off the Hook

Kevin Nealon has fond memories of Marco Island and the Off the Hook Comedy Club.

The stand-up comedy and television star will make his second appearance at the Marco Island club on Friday and Saturday. His first Off the Hook gig was about a year ago.

“I loved it,” Nealon said of his March 2011 engagement. “I’m used to Florida, but this was an area I’d never been to before so I enjoyed discovering it myself. The club is nice. It’s different.”

By “different,” Nealon was referring to Off the Hook’s dual existence as a restaurant and night club.

Nealon chuckled when recalling the large shark’s head mock-up adorning the wall behind the stage and wait staff circulating through the crowd with trays held aloft.

Nealon is perhaps best known for his nine-year stint as a cast member of NBC’s “Saturday Night Live,” and for his eight years as a cast member the Showtime series “Weeds,” in which he plays the perpetually stoned accountant and business advisor of the main character, single mother Nancy Botwin, who makes ends meet by selling marijuana.

Nealon has strong ties to Southwest Florida.

“I have family that lives in the Fort Myers area, so I’ve been coming there for like 20 years,” Nealon said by phone from his Los Angeles home.

Playing gigs in Florida enables Nealon to visit his parents’ Fort Myers-area home, accompanied by his 5 year-old son, Gable.

Nealon said it’s become common for club owners and the stand-up industry to label comedians, their followers and their refreshment choices – for example someone with a blue-collar following could be known for attracting a beer and chicken-wing crowd.

“My crowd is more a red wine crowd according to one club owner,” Nealon said with a laugh. “I’m not sure if it’s pinot noir or Merlot. They didn’t get that specific.”

When not on tour, Nealon has popped up with periodic filmed spots on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.” The next spot is a Valentine’s Day-themed piece set to air Feb. 15.

Nealon just finished shooting the pilot for a potential NBC comedy series titled “Isabel,” in which he co-stars with Academy Award winner Marcia Gay Harden.

“Isabel” is about a middle-class family that’s average in most respects, except for the magical abilities possessed by the daughter of the Nealon and Harden characters.

Nealon said he was attracted to the role because “it’s very well written and there were a lot of pilots out there that weren’t as good. And it appealed to me that Marcia Garden Harden was involved.”