‘The Z-Suite’: Lauren Graham & Nico Santos on Poking Fun at the Corporate Generation Gap in Tubi Comedy

Tubi is tackling the corporate age gap in its first original scripted comedy The Z-Suite, led by Gilmore Girls favorite Lauren Graham and Superstore vet Nico Santos.

Created by Katie O’Brien, the series tracks the fall of advertising big shot, Monica Marks (Graham), whose house of cards with loyal exec Doug Garcia (Santos) comes tumbling down after a disastrous ad campaign fumble. Seen as out of touch in their approach, Monica and Doug are pushed aside for their Gen Z counterparts, giving social media manager Kriska Thompson (Madison Shamoun) a shot at the top.

The concept proves that while generations may be very different in approaches, their struggles are ultimately somewhat similar as Monica and Doug face a new uphill battle and Kriska and fellow Gen Zers must adapt to the crushing weight of top-level responsibility. The project came to Graham in a hotel lobby when her agent called. “I always read things so fast, I get so excited and I basically read it in this hotel lobby and I just thought, ‘What fun?’ I had been wanting to do a half-hour [comedy] and I was just really excited to meet the writer,” she says of her initial introduction to the project.

Tubi

The feeling was mutual for O’Brien, who remembers, “When Lauren Graham came about, I somehow had this realization that… Lauren will make this character far better than I ever could write this character. So it’s interesting — sometimes you write things and then actors come in and make the material far greater. And that was definitely the case with Lauren Graham.”

As O’Brien puts it, the star is “so smart and funny and wise and cool, and we really collaborated together on Monica.”

Meanwhile, Santos’ casting and character were already locked in as he and O’Brien go way back. “I’ve known Katie O’Brien for years and we’ve always wanted to work together. So when this opportunity arose she was like, ‘Read the script, tell me if you like it.’ And I read it and I was just cackling in my kitchen like a mad person,” Santos recalls.

“When I was writing Doug, I was like, ‘Well, it has to be Nico, and if it’s not Nico, then I guess we’re not doing this character,'” O’Brien remembers, noting that the role was perfectly suited for Santos’ strengths. Doug indeed plays towards Santos’ strengths as he works dutifully alongside a somewhat delusional Monica, who initially thinks she can get her reigning position back after she’s demoted.

Related

'The Z-Suite': Everything You Need to Know About Lauren Graham's New Show

As for blending the generations onscreen and behind the scenes, one thing that both Graham and Santos struggle to connect with Gen Z about is their confidence. “I think a lot of it is in Monica’s frustration with a young person who’s just started out, who expects that they should now be running the show without having paid dues and without the experience,” Graham says of her character. “I mean, I find it fascinating when I come across someone with incredible confidence who has no business having any. I still don’t have confidence and I’ve been doing this for a million years.”

Santos couldn’t agree more, saying, “Whether their confidence is misplaced or real… I wish I had this when I was 20.”

When it came to nailing the tone of the characters, especially the Gen Z crowd, O’Brien consulted with her younger brother. “He was my Gen Z consultant,” she says. “And my younger brother Nick is a fascinating, very well-rounded, smart, and cool human being, but he’s also a finance bro who lives in New York City. So I would have these phone calls with him where I would write things in the script and I would be like, ‘Hey, can you read this? And is this something you would say?’ And he would kind of flip through and he’d be like, ‘We would never say this.'”

While O’Brien’s brother was a good sounding board, so was the team behind the show. Get to know the other characters inhabiting this world when The Z-Suite debuts on Tubi. And check out Graham and Santos in the video, above.

The Z-Suite, Series Premiere, Thursday, February 6, Tubi

From TV Guide Magazine

What to Expect From 'The Hunting Party's Love Triangle and Mystery

Manifest alum Melissa Roxburgh and the showrunner of NBC’s Hunting Party tease TV Guide Magazine about what’s ahead for the “government conspiracy that just keeps unfolding” — plus, the series’ “good” love triangle. Read the story now on TV Insider.