Center Stage

Center Stage is an American comedy series. It debuted on January 11, 2010 and has become one of the network's most popular series.

Synopsis
The series revolves around a group of actors who operate their own theatre company in New York City.

Main Characters
Bebe Crane: The acid-tounged artistic director of the theatre company.

Jack Reese: Bebe's no-nonsense, suave business manager.

Alex Porter: A 22-year-old actor just out of college.

Brock Nightingale: A young actor who Bebe discovered in a musical production of Finding Nemo

Kyle Whorton: Bebe's narcissistic personal assistant

Recurring Characters
Sharen McClure: A ditsy, pretentious actor who lacks any real talent.

Leona Crane: Bebe's acerbic mother.

Production
Kathy Parish serves as the showrunner and head writer, overseeing a writing staff that currently consists of nine writers.

The show's trademark style is characterized by edgy, dark humor and character-driven stories. According to Michelle Carson, Kathy Parish adopted a rule saying that the characters must never face any retribution for their wrong-doings, and must never grow as human beings.

Center Stage also employes meta-humor and breaks the fourth wall frequently, with characters often acknowledging their status as characters on a TV series and sometimes even speaking directly to the camera. When writers must take dramatic license for the sake of a story or joke, a character will often speak directly to the camera to inform the "super-fans" that they are aware that they are violating continuity or some other facet of the show.

Katharine Parish once commented that some of the cast frequently ad-libs, but that a majority of the material is unusable due to its "vile, perverse" nature.

Conception
UCS approached Kathy Parish about creating a new series in mid-2009. She was initially hesitant, unsure if she was willing to commit to the duties of running a TV series. However, she ultimately decided to commit to a project. The first idea she pitched was a series about a group of college theatre students, but she decided that would ultimately be too limiting.

Casting
Parish wrote the character of Bebe Crane with Michelle Carson in mind, knowing Carson was the only person who could play the character the way Parish wanted her played. Alex was written with Kevin Levine in mind. Michelle Carson suggested Michael Monahan for the role of Jack, having worked with him years earlier on stage.

The characters of Mark and Cory were added later in the series. Both were cast on Kevin Levine's recommendations, after Parish asked him if he knew of anyone who would be good in the roles. Brandon McKeon was cast after two readings, one with Levine and one with Carson.

Reception
The series has a cult following and has spawned a number of catchphrases, including "reevaluate your life"

Ending
In 2014, it was widely rumored that the series would end with season six. Parish officially confirmed in October of that year that the show's current season would in fact be its last. The season is scheduled to end in May 2015, though an official air date for the final episode has not yet been announced.

Trivia
Jack Reese is the only main character who has never been seen driving a car.

In 2012, television website TVNow cited the series as "the best show you're probably not watching"

There have only been three instances of the word 'fuck' being used in the series, one of which was an ad lib.

The series debuted as a major underdog, and most of the cast and crew felt that it wouldn't last beyond a few episodes. After production of the second episode was done, Michelle Carosn jokingly remarked "we're halfway done!" In fact, Kathy Parish didn't even unpack her office until after UCS ordered an entire season of the show.