‘Hollyweed’: Watch Kevin Smith Run a Marijuana Dispensary in His Web Series Pilot, Now Available for Free
August 25 — the six-month anniversary of Kevin Smith‘s heart attack — will also be the date he finally learns the fate of his potential new series, “Hollyweed.” Smith shot the pilot in January 2016, serving as its writer, director, and co-lead. Just this week, website Rivit TV announced it had acquired the 25-minute comedy as its inaugural pilot, now available to watch for free.
“The future was looking bright for ‘Hollyweed’ — until we ran into a slight speed bump: no network wanted the show,” wrote Smith on the site. “And now, the good folks at Rivit TV are giving me and my Hollywood dreams a second chance, as they put the power to greenlight our little weed sitcom in YOUR hands!”
Season one of “Hollyweed” would consist of six more episodes. Rivit TV will order the installments if Smith’s devotees pledge a combined $5,305,264. Each contributor selects how much they are willing to chip in for the full season, amounts that range from $11.94 ($1.99/episode) to $35.94 ($5.99/episode). No one will be charged unless the show meets its fundraising target.
Smith describes his vision as “‘Clerks’ in a weed store, with Donnell Rawlings and me as the middle-aged knuckleheads behind the counter;” the pilot opens inside their dispensary, LA Confidential, as the duo debates whether “Schindler’s List” featured dragons. Co-stars include Ralph Garman (“Family Guy”), Adam Brody (“The O.C.”) Frankie Shaw (“SMILF”), and recurring Smith collaborator Jason Mewes. Next month, Mewes and Smith will begin filming “Jay and Silent Bob Reboot,” reprising their namesake roles from the 2001 predecessor.
Next week, Smith will be ever-present at San Diego Comic-Con (he owns Jay and Silent Bob’s Secret Stash, a comic book store in Red Bank, New Jersey). Not only will he host “An Evening with Kevin Smith,” but the creative team behind “Shooting Clerks: The Kevin Smith Biopic” will hold court in its own panel as well.
Watch the “Hollyweed” pilot below.
