“Nobody’s safe right now” in US scripted, say ‘Everyone Is Doing Great’ creators

Everyone Is Doing Great

It’s a good time to be an independent producer, with the scripted industry going through major upheavals, the creators of US dark comedy Everyone Is Doing Great, have said here at the Monte-Carlo TV Festival.

Speaking on a panel about the value of independent scripted TV, Stephen Colletti and James Lafferty, the creators, stars and executive producers of the indie show, which had its first season in 2021 picked up by Hulu and Paramount+, spoke about how much they valued their autonomy at a time when large US entertainment firms are cutting content and staff amid shifting headwinds for streaming.

“I mean, honestly, the more chaotic it gets, the more we feel great about being independent, because I feel like nobody’s safe right now,” said Lafferty.

“It doesn’t matter what platform you’re with or what production company you have – it’s a weird time. Nobody’s jobs are safe and nobody’s shows are safe, also you might get cancelled, but then you’ll get picked up again – and then you’ll get cancelled again.

“Nobody knows what’s going on right now; it’s a bummer, but at the same time, we really feel like being in the independent space, in terms of television,  has made us feel very secure in this time because we have a certain level of autonomy and we have a certain level of control – we have ‘something’ and that’s all you can ask for in this time.”

Colletti and Lafferty, who met while starring in The CW drama One Tree Hill, created Everyone Is Doing Great together as an independent production, with the pair revealing on the panel that the eight-part first season, which was distributed by Fifth Season, was made for less than $500,000.

Partly based on the real-life experiences of Colletti and Lafferty, the series follows the former stars of a YA supernatural series as they struggle with love and loss of fame years after the end of their show. The duo shared a teaser of the upcoming eight-part second season of the show, which they also independently produced, and is currently seeking distribution.