Break a Leg (sitcom)

Infobox Television
show_name = Break a Leg


genre = Comedy
creator = Yuri Baranovsky
Vlad Baranovsky
director = Yuri Baranovsky
Justin Morrison
starring = Yuri Baranovsky
Justin Morrison
Daniel George
Daniela DiIorio
Alexis Boozer
Drew Lanning
Chad Yarish
Skip Emerson
Flynn Kelleher
country = United States
language = English
num_episodes = 9
runtime = 7 - 30 Minutes
picture_format = Widescreen 720p
website = http://www.breakaleg.tv

"Break a Leg" is an independently-created internet sitcom. The show is filmed in the handheld, one-camera style, similar to shows like "Arrested Development" and "The Office"Fact|date=February 2008.

The show was written and created by brothers Vlad and Yuri Baranovsky. It is primarily online, but has been seen on the San Francisco Public Access channel, called Access SF. The show is shot in San Francisco and the outlying areasFact|date=February 2008.

Development

In March 2006, FX held a MySpace contest through their hit show, "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia", asking viewers to create their own 5-minute Pilot for a TV show that had never been on air.

Yuri Baranovsky was already working on a feature-length independent film titled "LIFE NOIR", and he, the crew and the actors all decided to film a Pilot for the competition. Vlad and Yuri wrote the idea in one sitting and the short "episode" was shot in one day.

The show didn't win but managed to garner a small and highly-dedicated fanbase who went as far as calling and emailing FX to tell them they picked the wrong show. This prompted the "Break a Leg" crew to create more episodes of "Break a Leg" under their production company name - Late Again Films.

Premise

The show is about a writer named David Penn, whose sitcom has been picked up for production. The viewer also learns, through the lead character's narration, that David is going to die at the end of the season. The show follows David through the process of making a show and surviving a fantastical, almost satirical Hollywood.

World

"Break a Leg" takes place in San Francisco with some scenes in Los Angeles. The storyline hints that anyone involved with any kind of entertainment is in Hollywood -- no matter where they actually are.

Hollywood itself is portrayed as a kind of macabre world where unions engage in actual wars and child actors live in the sewers and run extensive spy networks.

Characters

*David Penn (Yuri Baranovsky)

*Chase Cougar (Justin Morrison)

*Claudio Ciccone (Daniel George)

*Humphrey Archibald (Daniel George)

*Francesca Scala (Daniela DiIorio)

*Amber Turnipseed (Alexis Boozer)

*Jimmy Scotch (Drew Lanning)

*Jennifer John Bradley (Chad Yarish)

*Sebastian Windlethorpe (Skip Emerson)

*Larry Gibbons (Flynn Kelleher)

*Andy Corvell

*Jezebel (Laura Secour)

*Mint (Dustin Toshiyuki)

*Stan Marley (Claudio Brescia)

*Mysterious Tech (Duane Schirmer)

*Adult-Sized Gary Coleman (Patrice Oneal)

*Anna Cinnamon (Jessica Robles)

Episodes

Episode 1; The Pilot: David Penn is a Hollywood writer who has just had his sitcom "Groomates" picked up. Held captive in a closet, with a gun to his head, David begins to recall the events that led to his current predicament.

Episode 2; Bad Press: The new publicist that the producers have hired to promote "Groomates" plans to leak embarrassing personal information about the cast. The cast and crew threaten to quit in protest if David doesn't do something about it.

Episode 3; High Treason: David discovers that there's a mole within the "Groomates" production team funneling information about the show to a rival production.

Episode 4; Back to school: Episodes 4-9 have an overall story arc.

Episode 5; Detention:

Episode 6; Sex Ed.:

Episode 7; Courting 101:

Episode 8; Cutting Class:

Episode 9; Sex and Violence:

External links

* [http://www.breakaleg.tv Break a Leg website]
* [http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119404556020381047.html?mod=todays_us_weekend_journal Wall Street Journal "Picks" "Break a Leg"]
* [http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/06/23/DDII10U5LH.DTL&hw=Break+leg&sn=001&sc=1000 Web TV is a hit. So where's the big money?]
* [http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/tv_and_radio/article4425006.ece The Web Watcher: Break a Leg; Clark & Michael]