3 great science fiction web series you can finish in a day
By Chad Porto
Con Man
Con Man, like others on this list, isn’t a long series. Running just 25 episodes, an average episode could run from as short as 10 minutes, or as long as 17 minutes depending on the episode. You could easily finish this in about six hours or so, depending on breaks. You won’t have too many, however, as the series stars Alan Tudyk in arguably his best role ever.
A fictionalized version of himself, Tudyk plays Wrey Nerely, an actor who rose to fame on a short-lived science fiction series called Spectrum. On the in-universe series, Nerely played beloved fan-favorite pilot Cash Wayne. Yes, the character is an homage to his own time on the cult classic series Firefly as Hoban Washburne. Tudyk not only stars in the series but created it as well, serving as the shows Executive Producer throughout it’s run.
Joining Tudyk’s Nerely is Tudyk’s real-life castmate from the Firefly/Serenity series, Nathan Fillion. Fillion plays Jack Moore, who on the fictional in-universe show, Spectrum, played the lead of the show James Raaker. Another homage to Serenity, where Fillion played Mal Reynolds, the character James Raaker is based on.
Just like Fillion in real life, his character Jack Moore is beloved by everyone and seen as a leading man for most projects. He’s Nerely’s best friend, though it often doesn’t appear so with the way he dismisses Nerely.
Rounding out the main cast is iconic character actress Mindy Sterling as Bobbie, Wray Nerely’s agent. To say she has her best outing as a comedian would be an understatement. Her timing is brilliant and you can tell just how much fun she had in her role.
The show focuses on Nerely navigating the science fiction convention circuit as he tries to break free from his sci-fi past. This despite a revival of Spectrum hanging over his head like the sword of Damocles.
Along the way a slew of guest stars pop up, some playing fictionalized versions of themselves. The guest star highlights include Felicia Day as Wrey’s de facto body double, Tricia Helfter as a creepy doll-enthusiast, Nolan North as a fictionalized version of himself named Jerry Lansing and the best cameo in the entire series played by Casper Van Dien. I won’t tell you what his role is, it’s just simply the best. There’s also a bunch of actors from other Joss Whedon shows that pop up, not too mention an amazing out by Henry Rollins.
If you enjoy the show, there’s a mobile game based on the series you can play. The game follows the characters of the show and has you build a convention that the characters and fans can enjoy.