Alan Tudyk’s web series Con Man has found a new home at SYFY. Back in 2015, Firefly stars Alan Tudyk and Nathan Fillion, along with producer PJ Haarsma, launched a crowdfunding campaign for a web-series titled Con Man. After an overwhelming response from fans, the goal was met in four days and so the first season of the series came to be.
The first season streamed on Vimeo, while the second season found a home at Comic-Con HQ, Comic-Con’s subscription streaming video service. Thanks to the great response from fans, Con Man has had a place at San Diego Comic-Con even before the first season was released, and this year was no exception. The past two years, Tudyk and company shared footage from seasons 1 and 2, but this year’s big reveal at the panel was that of the series jumping from streaming devices to TV.
SYFY will be Con Man’s new home, as the network announced that it has acquired both seasons, premiering on TV in September. While a third season was not announced, IndieWire reports that producer PJ Haarsma hopes this new deal with SYFY will lead to more seasons – it all depends on how well the two seasons do when broadcast.
It’s official. Emmy-nominated #ConManTheSeries starring @AlanTudyk and @NathanFillion is coming to SYFY. #SDCC pic.twitter.com/23yLROLbUe— SYFY (@SYFY) July 21, 2017
Con Man follows Wray Nerely (Alan Tudyk), a struggling actor who starred as spaceship pilot on a sci-fi series that was cancelled too soon, named Spectrum. On the other hand, his friend and co-star, Jack Moore (Nathan Fillion) became an A-list movie star. Now Wray attends sci-fi conventions, makes appearances at comic book stores, does voiceovers for various projects, visits pop culture events, and more – all the while encountering old friends and going through odd and hilarious incidents.
Tudyk took some of his personal experiences as inspiration for the show – the parallels between Spectrum and Firefly, as well as Nathan Fillion’s popularity after the cancellation of Firefly are more than clear. It’s this touch of reality with a good dose of humour which led to its success (and, of course, the Firefly nostalgia, with many cast members doing cameo appearances).
Jumping from streaming devices to television is a big move for any web series, especially an independent one. This change will bring the series to a larger audience, which will hopefully lead to more seasons and consequently to the production of other products, such as sequels to the comic book and new additions to the mobile game.
Next: Please Let This Be a Tease For a Firefly Reunion
Source: SYFY
