“For me, it’s just cool to be a middleman to some characters that people might relate to,” said writer-director Cameron Crowe, whose characters have included the likes of the quintessential stoner Jeff Spicoli in “Fast Times at Ridgemont High,” the boombox-hoisting Lloyd Dobler in “Say Anything,” the driven agent Jerry Maguire in the movie that bears his name and the teenaged rock journalist William Miller (based on Crowe’s own adventures) in “Almost Famous,” for which he won a screenwriting Oscar.
Crowe’s new cast of characters is on display in the Showtime series “Roadies,” his first foray into episodic television and a collaboration with J.J.