Kenan Thompson’s next project leans deep into camp. He’s set to star as a man who’s kidnapped at a Toys R Us and locked in the store’s basement. When he realizes his handcuffs are actually made of fuzz, he escapes and returns home. Back to safety, he discovers that his wife has already moved on and hooked up with his twin brother, also played by the comedian.
“Saturday Night Live” sketch? Weird one-and-done Netflix comedy? Nope. Thompson’s series, called “MisTaken,” is part of 100 Zeros, a new venture launched by Google and Range Media Partners to produce vertical microdramas.
“It’s a soapy story that he probably wouldn’t be able to pitch as a television show,” says Range partner Rachel Douglas. Thompson, along with director McG and “The Bachelor” creator Mike Fleiss, is one of the more high-profile names looking to play in the fast-growing microdrama space, where series consist of 60 or so episodes that barely last a minute each and feature minimal production values, mostly unknown stars and budgets that average $250,000. Cliff-hangers, story arcs and emotional beats are required every few seconds to keep users engaged.
“You see how people are watching their content, right? Everyone is on their phone,” Douglas says of the new twist on short-form content. “I was first surprised by how much talent wanted to play and make stuff. Before, they go through the traditional process and nothing gets made; they’re at the mercy of studios and notes and development. With this model, we’re like, ‘Yeah, you’re not going to make any money up front, but you can go make the thing that you’ve been really passionate about.’”
