With the end of the semester fast approaching, so is the close of Pepperdine’s first comedy sitcom, “The Beacon.” The sixth and final episode of the season will air on April 19, to answer the cliffhangers and set the stage for next year.
The show, which premiered in September, was written by sophomore Ben Holcomb, and is a “mockumentary” based on a college newspaper and its eclectic staff. Each episode is at least 30 minutes in length, making it the first of its kind in the nation.
“Many schools have comedy webisodes or sketches, but ours is the first college sitcom that is a 30 minute show,” Holcomb said. “Instead of shying away from that, we’re embracing the challenge and I am very happy with the results.
The show now has its own website — www.becaconsitcom.com — which already received more than 4000 views in 22 countries. The previous episodes are available on the site and on Vimeo, with hopes to add iTunes and Hulu to the list in the future.
“This whole project was a lot to take on. We wrote 300 pages of script last summer, and shooting and editing the episodes each month takes a lot of time,” Holcomb said. “We were so lucky to have Luke Rodgers as our producer handling all of the technical stuff, and teaching us along the way.”
Rodgers, and a handful of other cast members, will be graduating this spring.
Nevertheless, Holcomb is confident that the show will continue to improve. “The characters will have weird endings in the finale, and next season will focus more on those remaining, adding a few new faces.” The Beacon will be holding auditions in the fall so that freshman will also have the opportunity to get involved with production.
The sitcom will continue for two more seasons, and hopes to develop a strong following. “It can be hard to get students to attend events,” Holcomb said, “but hopefully as we gain more experience and the show improves more people will come.”
The season finale airs on April 19, at 7 p.m. in Elkins, and plans for second season production will begin this summer.
