It’s a synopsis that could very well be ripped straight from real life headlines, given the struggle for independent bookstores to stay open and compete against the giants. And now a new comedy pilot from writer/director Carianne King is giving this struggle the comedy treatment on screen.
‘Broadway Books’, features a group of over-educated, under-employed bookstore workers struggle to keep their independent bookstore in business using increasingly desperate measures. Their latest exploit sees the Broadway Books team scrambling to raise attendance numbers for an upcoming Malcolm Gladwell reading, worsened by Gladwell’s impossible demands and epic rider. Additionally, Pierre accuses Nick of not having read his staff picks, as tensions rise ahead of the evening’s event.
Starring Ruby McCollister as Anya (Curb Your Enthusiasm, High Maintenance, and The Deuce), Lauren Servideo as Laurel (Rap World, Or Something, and Our Home Out West), Nick Naney as Nick (The Tonight Show and Chris Gethard Presents), Eric Yates as Pierre (Good One, Free Time), Carlos Dengler as Bookstore owner Cliff (cofounder/bass player/keyboardist for the band Interpol), Rew Starr as Polly (actress and songwriter signed whose song “u suck” won Punk Song of the Year on Pirate Radio of the Treasured Coast and was featured on The Bad Girls Club Film), and Joe Apollonio as Lord Giggles, the series originated from Carianne’s own experience working as a bookseller for a summer at Book Culture on the Upper West Side, at the same location where the pilot episode ‘Tipping Point’ was filmed.
The pilot pays homage not only to indie bookstores, but also indie music, with Martin Courtney of the band Real Estate composing his first score for TV on this project.
‘Broadway Books’ premiered in Los Angeles over the summer, and will be holding a series of screenings on the East Coast, starting at Brooklyn Book Fest on Sept 18th. This is a tour that Carianne and her team have put together themselves, sticking to the indie theme of the show itself, and giving audiences a glimpse into what it takes for independent creators to get their work in front of new people in the current film and TV landscape where major studios and networks dominate.
Given the very meta way Carianne is launching ‘Broadway Books’ into the world, we wanted to speak with her about the upcoming tour, what it takes to build an audience for an indie project, and the inspiration behind her creation.
Where did the idea for ‘Broadway Books’ originate, and were there any other TV series or films that inspired you along the way?
“Broadway Books” is inspired by my experiences working as a bookseller when I first moved to New York City. I didn’t write the script until many years later, but the “world” I experienced there always stuck with me.
I wrote the script as part of an Upright Citizens Brigade course on pilot writing during the pandemic, a time when comedy provided some comfort. I was inspired by nostalgic sitcoms like “Seinfeld” and “Cheers” and “30 Rock,” the cozy shows I was gravitating towards that time. I deliberately wanted “Broadway Books” to feel like a vintage sitcom and envisioned that from the beginning.
In the age of everything being available online, and technology changing the way we even “read” books, what is it about bookstores that still feels nostalgic and special to you?
Today, we have Amazon, AI and gentrification, and yet our indie booksellers are all still out there, ensuring people will have great books to read. They are literally, actually, fighting the good fight, and I always feel moved when think about that. There would be so many reasons to give up, and yet they don’t.
This endless effort is actually great material for a TV show because that’s what TV does—it pursues an unanswered (and sometimes unanswerable) question over the course of several seasons. In this case, it’s “Will this store survive?”
What is the meaning behind the title?
I wanted the name of the store to feel recognizably New York even to those who have never been to the city, and “Broadway” is about as big of a signpost as it gets. Of course, I don’t mean “Broadway” as in the theatre district—but the thoroughfare that runs through Manhattan. And I liked the alliteration.
What was the creative process of writing the characters then finding the perfect cast?
The show is about a bookstore struggling to stay open, but also, it’s about the friends who work at the store and their personal journeys in life. I wrote them as opposites I knew would play well off each other and create plot tension: Nick the slacker, Pierre the over-achiever; Anya the romantic, Laurel the pessimist. And their stressed-out boss Cliff.
The cast came through my producers Abbie Jones and Miranda Kahn, as well as my casting director Violette Trotter. We knew we would need funny people who would also embody the “indie” and referential feeling of the show. The cast pulled from the “alt” comedy worlds of New York City and indie music, with Carlos Dengler (Cliff, the bookstore owner) having once been the bassist in the band Interpol.
How did you workshop the jokes and one-liners? We’d love some insight into how comedy is created on a show like this!
Sitcoms tend to follow a set formula, and “Broadway Books” was written with that formula in mind, with the aspiration of trying to make every beat funny.
I workshopped the script with my teacher and peers in my Upright Citizens Brigade course. But after hearing the script at the table read, I realized that it might be even funnier to let the incredibly funny cast improvise on set. The final edit mixes both jokes that were written word-for-word in the script, and magical improvised jokes the cast came up with on the spot.
You worked with a number of indie musicians, who are they and how did you get them involved?
The indie music scene is where I carved out an identity once upon a time as a young person. My husband Andrew Cedermark is a musician (he has a quick cameo in the episode). He came out of a scene of bands (and friends) in North Jersey, including Titus Andronicus and Real Estate, which is how I knew Martin Courtney, who composed the score for Broadway Books.
Carlos Dengler is the former bassist of Interpol, a band I grew up listening to, and a band that also represents indie New York in a hyper-specific way. I met him through my casting director and when he submitted a tape for “Cliff” that immediately made me laugh, I knew he would be the perfect fit.
What are the most challenging as well as rewarding aspects of writing and directing your own project and bringing it to life?
The most rewarding thing about directing a pilot—or anything—is that it’s a vehicle to allow the talents of others to shine. From the camera work to the props to the performances to the music. I truly enjoy tapping into the unique skills everyone has (and that I don’t have myself!).
The most challenging thing, with this pilot in particular, was doing it all on a small budget. To shoot at Book Culture (the store that provided our setting), we could only afford to shoot at night when the store was closed. We shot four overnights in a row and all became vampires—I’m so grateful to everyone for sticking with me.
Now that the pilot has had its first screening in Los Angeles, what are you long-term goals, and plans in the near future?
“Broadway Books” will be screening in the fall at bookstores as part of a “bookstore tour,” starting with the Brooklyn Book Festival in September. Right now, I’m continuing to build an audience for the show so we can hopefully someday make more episodes.
What do you hope audiences will love most about ‘Broadway Books’?
I created “Broadway Books” with a specific audience in mind. The script is layered with references intended for that audience. In the same way that certain indie bands, films, or books spoke to me as a young person, I want people to watch “Broadway Books” and say, “That’s my show. That’s the show for me.”
Follow the journey of ‘Broadway Books’ on Instagram, and see more of Carianne King’s work on Instagram. If you’re in the neighborhood, come and see a screening of the pilot and watch a Q&A with cast and crew at Brooklyn Book Festival on Sept 18.
