Con Man (web series)

Con Man is an American comedy web series created, written, directed by, and starring Alan Tudyk. The series follows cult science fiction actor Wray Nerely (Tudyk), as he tours the convention circuit. Tudyk, one of the stars of the 2002 science fiction TV show "Firefly", based "Con Man" loosely upon his own experiences. The series is co-produced by PJ Haarsma and by Nathan Fillion, who also co-stars in it. Crowdfunded through Indiegogo, "Con Man" set records for crowdfunding a web series by raising more than $1 million in 24 hours and more than $3.1 million overall.
The series premiered on September 30, 2015, on Vimeo, with the first season consisting of 13 episodes. The second season premiered on December 8, 2016 on Comic-Con HQ, Comic-Con's subscription streaming video service and consisted of 12 episodes. In 2017, the series was acquired by Syfy and had its television debut on September 9, 2017, where the episodes were combined to produce half-hour installments for airing.
Plot.
Wray Nerely (Tudyk) is a struggling actor who starred as a spaceship pilot on "Spectrum", a canceled science fiction series that went on to become a cult classic. Wray's good friend Jack Moore (Nathan Fillion), who starred as the ship's captain, has become an A-list movie star. Frustrated by Jack's success and his lack thereof, Wray travels the science fiction convention circuit, makes appearances at comic book stores, and visits pop culture events. He navigates the odd people and incidents he encounters along the way while learning to love the fans he has.
Cast.
Recurring cast.
Of the "kooky" people who populate the series, Tudyk emphasized, "the kooky people in "Con Man" are not the fans. [The fans] are the heroes of this. The kooky people are the people who work in the conventions. [...] It's the people that we've met along the way that are pulling the strings behind the curtain, in addition to kooky celebrities."
Production.
Conception and development.
Tudyk developed the series based on his experiences as an actor touring the science fiction convention circuit. Though it is not autobiographical, the fictional "Spectrum" echoes "Firefly", a canceled science fiction series-turned-cult hit that starred Tudyk as a pilot and Fillion as a captain, and Wray's experiences draw heavily on incidents and people Tudyk and Fillion encountered at conventions. "Spectrum" is based on a prequel novel to "The Softwire" series currently being written by PJ Haarsma, who is also a producer of "Con Man".
Tudyk said in March 2015 that the concept had been in development for two years. He pitched the idea to a production company, which became interested in producing the series and began to draw up contracts. However, the company's funder left the company, and the series was dropped. Tudyk spent a year meeting with producers but was disappointed. When asked to find an audience beyond "weird convention nerds," he refused, believing it to be compromising the concept of "Con Man" and disrespecting fans.
The series premiered on September 30, 2015, on Vimeo, with the first season consisting of 13 episodes. The second season premiered on December 8, 2016 on Comic-Con HQ, Comic-Con's subscription streaming video service, consisted of 12 episodes, and concluded on January 26, 2017.
In July 2017, the series was acquired by Syfy and had its television debut on September 9, 2017. The web series was shown as is but the episodes were combined to produce half-hour installments for airing, with all thirteen episodes of the first season aired back-to-back on the night. If the reception of the television network broadcast goes well and viewer ratings are sufficient, the network may decide to fund future seasons.
Crowdfunding campaign.
On March 10, 2015, Tudyk, Fillion, and Haarsma launched a campaign to raise funds for the series on crowdfunding website Indiegogo with a target goal of $425,000 to produce three ten-minute episodes. In 24 hours, the campaign raised over $1 million, setting a one-day record for a crowdfunded web series. In 35 hours, it raised over $1.4 million, breaking the overall web series crowdfunding record set by the campaign for "TableTop"s Season Three. The campaign set a stretch goal of $1.75 million to produce a full season of 12 episodes, as Tudyk planned, plus a "lost" episode of the fictional "Spectrum". The goal was met on March 14, 2015. The campaign closed on April 10, 2015 with $3,124,214.
The decision to use crowdfunding came out of Tudyk and Fillion's desire to work with people who knew the world of conventions, would enjoy being involved, and did not disrespect fans and their world. Tudyk said, "It's something that just made sense. This world of Cons, of the sci-fi conventions, is built by the fans." Fillion said, "This project in the hands of the fans is the only place it will be safe."
Casting.
The launch of crowdfunding campaign announced that it would be drawing from talent in science fiction and named several guest stars: Seth Green, Felicia Day, James Gunn, Gina Torres, Sean Maher, and Amy Acker. Later, Tricia Helfer, Michael Trucco, Nolan North, Emily Kinney, Robert Patrick, Mindy Sterling, and Samantha Smith were announced as cast members. However, Kinney later left the project because filming dates conflicted with her musical tour. Though the crew thought they would be "begging for favors" to cast the series, the successful Indiegogo campaign attracted interest from actors, including William Shatner, and the crew was surprised by the willingness to take small parts. Fillion noted, "We ran out of parts before we ran out of people for the parts." Tudyk stated that some actors appear as fictionalized versions of themselves because "they are a part of that world." In June 2016, it was announced that Eliza Dushku had been cast for the second season.
Filming.
Principal photography for the first season ran over a 23-day period from June 1 to 30, 2015, in Los Angeles. The set was located at Laurel Canyon Stages in Arleta, Los Angeles. Some crowd scenes were shot at MegaCon 2015 in Orlando, Florida on April 10. Some scenes were shot at Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center in Los Angeles, California between June 16 and 19, 2015.
Awards.
The series received two 2017 Emmy Award nominations: Alan Tudyk for Outstanding Actor in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series and Mindy Sterling for Outstanding Actress in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series.