Beyond Nathan Scott: How James Lafferty Built a Cult Streaming Hit on His Own Terms

From major highlights to background context, understand everything about Beyond Nathan Scott: How James Lafferty Built a Cult Streaming Hit on His Own Terms in our latest feature.

Despite regular bookings, the unpredictability of television development sparked a desire for autonomy. In 2017, Lafferty teamed with Stephen Colletti, his longtime friend and former One Tree Hill castmate, to write an unvarnished comedy about the perils of post-stardom stagnation.

The premise was razor-sharp: Jeremy Davis (Lafferty) and Seth Stewart (Colletti) are two former stars of a hit vampire television series who, five years after cancellation, are broke, emotionally unmoored, and scrambling for relevance in Los Angeles. Lafferty and Colletti produced a 34-minute proof-of-concept pilot using their own money and an Indiegogo campaign that raised over $120,000 from loyal fans.

The risk paid off. The pilot won awards at the 2018 ATX Television Festival and the Seriesfest comedy competition. Rather than relinquishing control to a network development room that might strip the series of its dry, semi-improvised tone, Lafferty directed every episode of the first season. Hulu acquired the distribution rights for the United States in early 2021, while international territories secured streaming licenses across platforms like Paramount+ and Netflix regional libraries.