The Japan Times - Indie series 'Everyone Is Doing Great' returns... on Netflix

James Lafferty and Stephen Colletti -- best known for appearing on the soapy series "One Tree Hill" -- wrote, directed and star in season two of the show about a group of actors trying to recapture their past glory.

They filmed the pilot for season one in 2017, as the streaming boom was taking hold.

The series premiered in 2021 on Disney-owned Hulu, but now both the new season and past episodes are streaming on Netflix after a global rights deal with Sony Pictures Television.

"It does feel like there are a lot of things that are aligning for... things that are set up really budget-consciously, and that can be shot very efficiently, and have really connected voices behind them," Lafferty told AFP.

Colletti chimed in that while other opportunities had cropped up, "we didn't want to do that without trying to get this exact opportunity, which is partner with a global streamer like Netflix and go wide all at the same time."

The pair draw on their own life experiences to tell the story of TV actors Jeremy and Seth, who struggle to land new gigs after their hit teen vampire show wraps up.

Lafferty said he was "struck" by the audience response to the first season of "Everyone Is Doing Great."

He said the show had tapped into "a generation and a time when people are realizing that things aren't quite turning out the way they thought they were going to."

"And the question is like, what happens next, and who do you lean on to figure that out?"

Cariba Heine, who co-stars as Izzy, attributed the success of the series to its humor and vulnerability.

The series explores "what really matters in life, which is being there for one another, showing up for one another, and laughing at the ridiculousness that is this life."

S.Ogawa--JT