Next! the series Review
“There’s a lot of glamour in the film industry,” professional casting director John Jackson explains at the beginning of the NAPTE LA TV Festival Award Winning webseries, Next! the series. “And a lot of work, a lot of hard work. Directors, actors, writers—they’re all very, very important. Somebody has to find that talent and that’s where I come in.” Jackson should obviously know as he has cast a number of films, including Election, About Schmidt and Sideways, throughout his exemplary career. Although he portrays himself in Next!, however, the webseries is not an actual documentary of his work but a fabricated interpretation that melds fact with fiction into a fun-filled romp and behind the scenes peak at the casting director profession.
Next! is filmed as a mock reality show following Jackson as he conducts a series of auditions for roles in a low-budget horror film called The Blamed. What starts off simple enough snowballs into a hilarious nightmare as the producer and director of the flick not only insist on sitting in on all of the auditions but make casting demands that border on both sexism and racism. The role of a murdered stripper, for instance, needs the sense of realism that can only be achieved—in their eyes, at least—by the part being portrayed by an actual stripper. With a newly installed pole in the middle of the casting room, the auditions begin but eventually turn into a series of lap dances for the producer and requests to see the girls naked. Jackson, the ever consummate professional, obviously puts the kibosh on that idea.
Later, the group conducts auditions for the role of a bus driver who is hijacked by a man with a gun. The producer and director insist on the part going to an African American but the experienced actors who attend the casting call fail to live up to their white, middle-class perception of how black people speak in America.
In addition to the actual auditions for The Blamed, the webseries contains a subplot revolving around a faux reality series about sexually active seniors entitled Golden Swingers. In order to reach as many potential participants as possible, assistant casting director Kasi Brown posts a casting call on Craigslist in addition to the normal trade publications but inadvertently lists the title of the show as “Golden Showers.”
“It’s not a porn show,” Brown later explains to the camera. “It’s very sweet and about seniors finding love and passion.”
While the premise of Next! is solid enough to warrant the attention of webseries aficionados, the series also benefits from a well rounded cast of characters who add additional wit and charm to the narrative. John Jackson, for instance, gives a strong, nuanced performance as he attempts to balance the impressive resume he has crafted through the years with getting stuck casting a low budget horror flick for a group of low class producers. The professional in him attempts to keep the process focused and on track but his expressions and body language give away the obvious frustration of the task at hand.
Kasi Brown, meanwhile, shines as Jackson’s assistant—who is likewise named Kasi Brown. Next! again blurs the line of fact and fiction by using the actual resume of the real Brown, an actress who has appeared in such shows as ER and Monk, for the fictitious Brown. In the webseries, Kasi Brown has no actual ambition in the casting end of the business but is merely using it as a stepping stone to building an acting career.
“She frequently gets in her own way,” Jackson comments in regards to Brown and acting. “She sabotages herself and worse of all, she wants to read for every single role whether she is appropriate for it or not. I said you’re not a seventeen year old, five-foot nine Italian model who grew up in the Bronx. You’re not. This is not the theater. You know, we can’t float some menopausal ex-gymnast by wires and pass her off as Peter Pan.”
Next! is the brainchild of Kansas City area casting director Heather Laird and, according to the , the basis for the webseries came from her own personal experiences within the industry. “I have at least four stories in my casting experience where some director wanted strippers, exotic dancers, tassel dancers,” she told the Kansas City Examiner in July 2010. In addition to developing the concept of Next!, Laird also co-wrote the scripts and served as the series’ director.
Next! was entered into the 2010 NAPTE LA TV Festival—an independent television festival that likewise spotlights the webseries medium—where it took home the award for Best Comedy Webisode. With its reality show style, behind the scenes look at the casting profession and blending of fact with fiction, Next! is not only worthy of the honor but a witty and wonderful webseries creation that is guaranteed to entertain viewers without reaching for the mouse and clicking “next” themselves.
Anthony Letizia (October 8, 2010)
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