The World Premier of SOLO - A New Web Series by Jonathan Nail

SOLO a new web series by Jonathan Nail

I got a challenge for you.   How many good, I mean really good, comedy series can you think of that happen out in space?  I’m not sure about you but I really can only think of a very few. The only ones I can honestly say I would recommend are: Red Dwarf, Mystery Science Theater 3000, The Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy, Dr. Who and maybe throw in Lost in Space (It is a classic after all).

I'm here to tell you that all of that is about to change.

On June 10, 2010 at Cinespace in Hollywood, a sold out crowd witnessed the birth of a new entry into world of must watch comedies, SOLO.

SOLO is a new comedy web series created and written by Hollywood veteran, Jonathan Nail (A Postcard from the Volcano, Side Effect, and Mad Men). Starring alongside Jonathan are other industry veterans, people like: Jason Burns (from LAGenX and the John Tesh Radio Show), Michele Boyd (The Guild and Machines of Malice) and Jay Caputo (The upcoming Green Hornet, and Thor).

(From Left to Right) Tohoru Masamune, Jonathan Nail, Ron Butler, Michele Boyd,
Jay Caputo, Amol Shah, Jade Carter

Taking a cue from any great comedy, SOLO is about putting real people in unreal situations. Taking this to the extreme, SOLO is the story of Scott Drizhal (Jonathan Nail), and his journey to be the next “Reality Star” by going solo on a 3 year mission to Mars. Only problem is, the network decided to cancel the show.  

Now floating alone in outer space, our luckless hero must deal with the ups and downs of being all alone in space with only the ship’s truly sardonic artificial intelligence PHAL (Jason Burns). While at home, his wife (Michele Boyd), has him declared legally dead so she can inherit the millions in life insurance. When Scott finally realizes the severity of his situation he decided the only thing left to do would be get the President (Ron Butler) involved and launch the space shuttle for a special rescue mission.

All the while, the show’s producer, Jack Spratt (Jay Caputo), finds himself in need of new investor in hopes of not saving the show. (We all know that happy endings mean ratings right?) Pressed for time and wanting to keep his options open, Jack turns to a Japanese Mob Boss as his new partner (Played by the very talented Tohoru Masamune).

What happens next is one comedic train wreck after another. My only advice for you is to make sure you remember to breathe in between episodes as you’ll find it difficult while you’re laughing hysterically.
There is one thing you can’t help but noticed upon watching SOLO and that is the overall quality of the series. One example of this was the insistence to film in full 1080i High Definition.

Taking this approach towards quality shows the thought and detail that everyone put into this production. When you look at the 3D modeling by Josh Medina or the composite work by Bryan Capri, you begin to realize the amount of research and effort that was put into making sure that the series would have the technical merit to stand toe to toe with similar shows on television and other formats.
And if you think that focusing on this level of detail the technical aspects of the film would mean the production team skimped on the talent, well think again.

SOLO’s Producer, Allison Vanore, talked about how everyone felt it was extremely to work with a veteran Casting Director (Laurie Records) to help find and select the right people for the right roles. Add to this the decision to work with SAG and you soon see the level of commitment and dedication that went into making SOLO a web series that can easily compete with any comedy on television today. And it’s this very same dedication to quality that has SOLO raising the bar for any web series that is to follow.

Find out more at WatchSolo.com

It’s next to impossible to find any fault with SOLO. Even now, the only thing I can really complain about is that the next day my sides still ached from laughing so hard, and that I’m having to wait for SOLO’s official release and distribution to see exactly how Jack is going to get Scott home. And once he is, what is Rebecca going to do with all that insurance money. Not to mention the fact I’m still dying to find out if PHAL is responsible for the vacuum incident or if it’s truly a malfunction. I guess we’ll all have to wait to find out. In the mean time, check out the teaser trailers on SOLO’s website and make sure to follow @SOLOtheSeries on Twitter.

Summary: SOLO raises the bar for future web series, 5 out of 5 stars.