You Could Decide the Fate of Kevin Smith’s New Show “Hollyweed”
Kevin Smith’s new cannabis-centric comedy series Hollyweed could see an early demise if viewers aren’t happy with the show. The actor and director has partnered with the new streaming platform Rivit TV to host the pilot of the program. Now that it has been released, fans will determine if the series continues, according to Rolling Stone.
Smith, who credits his appreciation of cannabis to actor Seth Rogen, recently suffered a massive heart attack. Once he was on the road to recovery, he told Stephen Colbert that he originally thought his heart attack after taping a standup special was actually a reaction from smoking too much pot.
“I honestly thought I was too high. I’d smoked a bunch of weed that day because I was doing the show and then I smoked a joint right before the show and then I got off stage and all of the sudden I had a heart attack,” Smith explained.
But, he said, his doctor told him that the marijuana he smoked may have helped him survive.
“That weed saved your life,” Smith said the doctor told him. “He said, you kept calm…they told you [you] were going through stuff and you kept calm the whole time, so that joint saved your life.”
New Streaming Platform
Rivit TV will stream the pilots of new programs from established artists such as Smith for no charge. After a pilot premieres, viewers must decide within about six weeks if a series is worth paying $1.99 to $5.99 per episode to continue watching. Hollyweed is the first series on Rivit TV.
“The higher the price point chosen, the fewer the amount of people who are needed to greenlight the season. More people participating lowers the price and everyone is charged the same lowest price,” a statement from Rivit TV explained. “The season is greenlit at the end of the 45-day timeframe, or when the price-per-episode reaches $1.99. Only then are credit cards charged. There is no charge if the season is not greenlit.”
New Pot Shop Sitcom
Smith said that the Rivit TV model allows filmmakers an opportunity to produce series that might not be funded by television networks or other streaming platforms.
“Two years ago we shot a pilot for a show called ‘Hollyweed’ and tried to take it out the traditional way but had no luck,” Smith said. “Cut to now, and we get to bring it back to life. Thanks to the good folks at Rivit TV, we raised it from the dead, it’s crazy. Rivit TV was smart enough to take this show and leave it up to my fans.”
Hollyweed focuses on two stoners, played by Smith and Donnell Rawlings, “in their quest for profits and the perfect bud” as they manage a cannabis dispensary in Los Angeles.
“It wasn’t at all groundbreaking, but it was fun to make: essentially, it was CLERKS in a weed store, with Donnell Rawlings and me as the middle-aged knuckleheads behind the counter,” said Smith in Rivit TV’s description of the program.
Watch and Decide Now
Hollyweed is written and directed by Smith and also features Adam Brody, Jason Mewes, and Ralph Garman. The pilot premiered on Rivit TV and began its 45-day approval period on July 11. If enough people like the pilot and agree to pay for the show, it will continue to be produced. New episodes will also air on Rivit TV if the series continues.
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