Why is this show important to you?

I was asked this question a few weeks ago, and as it being February 7th, 2026… currently putting this website together. I thought what a great time to answer this question.

I can’t speak for Alix at this moment. But, to answer this question, I have to tell you how this all started… way back in February of 2025.

I just came back from filming a Peacock show that I had co-written, and I was incredibly inspired to finally write something and take on a project in full. So call it my bipolar II, my manic nature… I felt impulsed to DM Alix on Instagram.

I reached out because three years prior, I co-wrote a pilot that somehow landed on her desk at CAA, and as the tv script reader that she was, she reached out for a meeting.

It was here, in a google hangout, that I was enamored by how she explored writing, storytelling, and art.

She discussed how writing is rhythmical, storytelling is about authentic honesty, and creating art requires human collaboration.

These were beliefs I could stand behind, especially the need that art requires human collaboration.

See, in an age of ongoing tech, we’re losing sight that it takes a village full of humans with different skillsets, history, and vision to create art.

Therefore, without a beat, I manically reached out and discussed the themes we could possibly explore together in our writing.

Ideas from stories awhile ago about one of my friends who was secretly bisexual and how she had to hide her relationship from so many, while also trying to balance the relationship as a whole.

Ideas from stories involving positive-masculine relationships where the men weren’t “nice” guys but rather kind, flawed, and vulnerable in nature.

Ideas from stories where the premise was built on platonic friendship. In a world where we’re oftentimes so focused on “intimate sexual relationship”… we have to remember that there is importance on “intimate friendship relationships”.

Ideas from stories of recovery and manic behavior that doesn’t just focus on destruction, loss, and insecurity.

Then lastly, due to the world of today, I implored the idea of making what we were writing, live.

Gratefully, without even missing a couple of days, she was excited to meet at a local coffee shop.

It was here that we talked for more than 5 hours: going over plot ideas, vision, themes, how we work, our goals, how much we hated AI, and most importantly, why this story matters to us to tell right now.

(I’ll tell you the “why” in a second…)

To say that she’s a genius.
To say that she’s like my writing sister.
To say that she challenges me in the best of ways…
To say that she is a person who I lean on often… is not even as close of how great of a person she truly is, especially when it comes to this project.

Then after the coffee meeting. We made it a point to write every single Saturday morning… on google hangouts.

Though there was a lot of excitement and fun, I will tell you the truth…

Some Saturdays wasn’t filled with inspiration.
Some Saturdays were cut short after 15 minutes.
Some Saturdays were filled with catching up with our own shit rather than writing anything.

Regardless, we showed up and we built the world and took each character and storyline… bit by bit.

In conjunction while this was happening, we sent out feelers to certain actor friends of mine who I thought would love to play the characters we were writing.

We’re talking Michelle Park, Motoki Maxted, and Jade Duong. Wonderful actors from all walks of life… social media, theater, and linear television.

I call them the creme’dela creme: friends who I’m inspired by in so many different ways.

Essentially, we began writing for them. Gratefully, after they read some early drafts and the outline, they gave us a chance. How lucky are we?

And on October 19th of 2025… we shared this piece via a table read, in front of friends and mentors in the industry, to provide feedback.

The feedback was needed.

Alix and I took a month break to gather our bearings and finish up some personal work projects, before jumping on the project again.

It was on this break that I would meet Lily Abha Cratsley on a project she was producing.

I was able to witness how she was able to produce the project with ease, and saw how many people trusted her leadership. And, to make matters better she was also a renowned local Los Angeles playwright whose plays have made an impact, especially in the SouthEast Asian communities.

Therefore, to have Lily not only producing this show, but also providing the feedback we needed to make the script sparkle… is quite a gift.

Besides finding the space and handling the many things a producer has to accomplish, she also brought on Kai Morfin. The stage manager for this project, who is really keeping things in line.

I’ve only been working with him for a week now, but we all feel safe in his hands.

Basically, I’m blown away by all these artists.

Now with all of this said, with all the feedback and people coming on board… Alix and I finally met back in person at a coffee shop, in late January, for another five hours, to write the locked script we’re currently shooting.

Again, I’m currently writing this on Feb 7th, which means we have less than a month to make this 81 page live play working on stage.

Things are coming together, from running into the talented Max Stewart and Gracie O’Leary at a Groundlings show who are both now in supporting roles…

…all the way to Roman Adolfo who I met at a premier in October to which he asked, “what are you working on?”

His one question led to a coffee meeting with him, and after hearing a brief synopsis of the script and then reading it… he suddenly joined the project as our Director of Photography.

It’s been a wild ride.

All of us our l balancing our own jobs in the process while still doing our very best to make this show a reality.

Who knows if or when or how it will come together. Who knows! Seriously, I’m praying of course. haha.

All I know is that it’s so beautiful to watch because this is how I feel art is supposed to be made…

It’s supposed to be made in collaboration, with love, with kindness, with challenges, with humility, with authentic honesty, with talent, with hard work, and most importantly… with other humans who rely on each other.

I understand I’m musing. But, if you’re reading this, I wanted you to understand how this story came to be… and now quickly I will tell you why this story is important to tell right now.

Why this story, now?

#1

On an egotistical level, for the past 12 years working in social media advertising, and being the behind the scenes guy for many online creators on the internet...

… I always loved creating other people’s projects. But in the midst of this I would often get nudged from these businesses, colleagues, or other creators “why are you not doing your own thing?”

This question haunts me.

Yes, I’ve always been intermittently writing and creating my own stories but never been consistent in following through on my own projects.

Do you know how many things I’ve filmed or started and never published?

Due to insecurity.
Due to addiction.
Due to laziness.
Due to excuse after excuse.
Due to mainly fear… I found myself stuck.

Well, after the Peacock show that I cowrote, and the rollercoaster behind it all… I decided. It’s time. It’s time to try creating a full project on my own.

Start to finish.

Publish.

No ands ifs or buts.

However, this wouldn’t have been possible if I didn’t practice a hard recovery. I had a massive gambling addiction that would creep up into my life and destroy any progress I’ve had…

Enough.

It’s time to tell the stories I want to tell… is it weird to say, you only live once?

Also, I don’t know if I’m ready, but will you ever be? I’m what you consider broke monetarily: making money as a consultant and as a late -night 10-12 hour a day uber driver.

But fuck it… let’s do this thing. How lucky am I to be surrounded by so many great artists? It only makes sense to do this now.

#2

This story is important because I think topics of sexuality, recovery, mania, friendship, positive-masculinity, depression, and death can be rooted in a way that is told comedically, but also with sensitivity where the message is not contrived.

These subjects are inherently nuanced, dynamic, and they’re so much fun to play with… fun to figure out how to make these subjects feel grounded in comedy, but also in truth.

I think it’s safe to say that life isn’t cliche and I want to see more of these type of ideas in scripted content.

And luckily, fortunately, through much life-experience, and through the people around me with their own life experiences… there is a sense of maturity to tell this story right now.

Yes, there are so many stories out there, from so many great writers and artists and creators… that are also grounded in their own truth.

But this is ours.
This is our truths.
This is now…

… and we’re filming this show it in a way which is a little frantic: handheld camera chaos surrounded by a live audience.

Call it the “Friends” for Gen-Z.
Call it the sitcom for present day.
Call it “what are you even doing”

Regardless, of what you call it… we’re ready. we’re ready to do our best to make something beautiful.

Thanks for listening.
This was supposed to be an about page.
Then it turned into a full length blog post… see I’m just doing things.

Oh! I’m not going to proofread this.
It’s Feb 7th, 2026. 6:20 pm.

Sincerely,
Jonathan Gaurano