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Although I haven\u2019t followed a television show from week to week since high school and avoid binge watch sessions to this day, I will sneak peeks if I flip to something on the flat screen that has been given a vote of confidence by friends on social media or positive coverage in the entertainment press<\/a><\/span>. I do recognize that cable channels and subscription portals have been awash with high-quality content since the rise of \u201cPeak TV<\/strong>\u201d more than a decade ago, and it has taken time for the revived medium of serial storytelling to be discussed in serious tones and rewarded well past ratings, avid fandom, and Emmy<\/strong> and Golden Globe<\/strong> statues<\/a><\/span>. My long-standing preference leans towards one-and-done experiences like films, I guess.<\/p>\n There is<\/em> a newfound attractiveness to the milieu. Hollywood<\/strong> heavyweights from Ridley Scott<\/strong> (RAISED BY WOLVES<\/strong> on HBO Max<\/strong>) and Reese Witherspoon<\/strong><\/a><\/span> (LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE<\/strong> on Hulu<\/strong>, THE MORNING SHOW<\/strong> on AppleTV+<\/strong>) to Jordan Peele<\/strong> (LOVECRAFT COUNTRY<\/strong> on HBO<\/strong>), Guillermo del Toro<\/strong> (TROLLHUNTERS<\/strong> on Netflix<\/strong>, THE STRAIN<\/strong> on FX<\/strong>), and Jon Favreau<\/strong> (THE MANDALORIAN<\/strong> on Disney+<\/strong>) are freely migrating to high profile, small screen fare as the stigma of network production being an inferior career choice to theatrical features has been all but erased. Their involvement entices viewers to stay glued, investors to take more chances, and talent to apply their creativity in ways that a 100-minute run time doesn\u2019t allow. In other words, serialization is the shiny new sandbox to play in.<\/p>\n You won\u2019t see this breadth of content creation on the opposite side of the spectrum where the local network affiliates, university-based services, and community cable access channels reside with minimal resources and barely-there budgets. Fiction television is still mostly the province of professional studios, which can handle the accelerated shooting schedules that are required to pull off complete seasons with a sense of artistic continuity, reliable delivery, and slick veneer. It doesn\u2019t mean the starry-eyed upstarts of our world should refrain from giving the episodic format a chance if they\u2019re up for the challenge!<\/p>\n ~~~~~<\/p>\n ~~~~~<\/p>\n I noticed earlier this year we have a trio of independent production teams in downstate Illinois<\/strong> that are filming narratives for broadcast audiences. Reading up on their goals has proven to be a nice distraction from repetitive headlines about the woes of multiplexes<\/a><\/span> and windfall experienced by video-on-demand providers<\/a><\/span>. From what I\u2019ve seen so far, all three camps are still in the early stages of realizing their respective projects and want to ensure they can extend the lives of their concepts. Sum total of their hard work so far \u2013 one pilot, one teaser for a pilot, one prequel series \u2013 is currently available to give viewers an idea of where they\u2019re headed, so I thought it might be fun to consider what a \u201clocal show\u201d can look like.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n This is the first of three C-U Blogfidential<\/span><\/strong> posts about the demos and we\u2019ll start with the one inching ever so close to going in front of the camera. Playwright and actor Michael Mcgruder<\/strong> of River City Productions<\/strong> in Peoria<\/strong> has put together a sizeable staff to realize a 30-minute \u201cromance dramedy\u201d pilot named after his home town, PEORIA<\/strong><\/a><\/span>. Culled from Illinois and Missouri<\/strong>, the ensemble cast includes Megan Lipski, Braxton Angle, Kerri Rae Ryan, Joanna Mills, Oscar Mansky, Kaitlyn Jackson, Chandler Smith, Megan Mockensturm<\/strong>, casting assistant Mia Katz<\/strong>, director and co-writer Raynah Unes-Reid<\/strong>, and executive producer and co-writer Mcgruder. They play young professionals, civic leaders, and service industry workers who are navigating their way through the city life where their paths will inevitably cross.<\/p>\n ~~~~~<\/p>\n<\/p>\n