In the grand tradition of comic stars creating showbiz-centric projects loosely informed by their real lives — think Tina Fey in 30 Rock or Larry David in Curb Your Enthusiasm — comes Jennette McCurdy's newly launched web series What's Next for Sarah, which she wrote and stars in.
McCurdy, the 22-year-old actress who starred opposite Ariana Grande in the recently canceled Nickelodeon sitcom Sam & Cat, plays the eponymous Sarah, an actress who gained fame on a TV show for tweens and is now forced to figure out what to do with her life.
"I wanted What’s Next for Sarah to be a light-hearted call-out to some of the more absurd experiences I've faced growing up in the entertainment industry," McCurdy told The Hollywood Reporter.
The four currently available episodes involve Sarah trying to determine her passion in life. This involves getting drunk with a friend at a house party (naturally); having the world's most awkward breakfast with her vapid boyfriend; seeing a therapist, who offers a rather unusual treatment; and having run-ins with all sorts of obnoxious Hollywood-industry types.
"My goal was to exaggerate some of the more classic Hollywood archetypes — the phony reporter, the insincere agent, the duplicitous casting director — and heighten them to a surreal extent that we can all laugh at," she said. "We all have those moments where we feel like the world is entirely crazy, and we’re the only sane person."
The series "is influenced from experiences in Jennette's career in Hollywood," says producer Jesse Bloch. "Some are quite truthful and others completely exaggerated, but they're all meant to show the absurd moments of living in the spotlight of the entertainment industry that one goes through from time to time."
After playing the character Sam in both Sam & Cat and iCarly, McCurdy explained that she was ready and eager to take a more hands-on role with a project. "I saw What’s Next for Sarah as a creative opportunity for me to try my hand at more behind-the-scenes aspects of entertainment and learn more about the production process as a whole," she added.
What's Next for Sarah can currently be seen at www.WhatsNextForSarah.com.
Email: Ryan.Gajewski@pgmedia.org
Twitter: @_RyanGajewski
