Fame can be complicated and if you add the internet, it can be hilarious. Funny or Die recently released a new original comedy miniseries, The Real Stephen Blatt, starring Justin Long — its first Amazon Prime Video exclusive.
The new miniseries will find Long starring as 16-year-old Stephen Blatt who develops an unhealthy social media addiction after he gets an iPhone for his birthday. After an Instagram video of his accidentally goes viral, Blatt is thrust into internet stardom. The rest of the eight-episode season deals with the consequences of such a rise. A few of the episodes involve him getting an internet personality mentor, hiring an assistant, and legally separating from his parents.
Long is also executive producing, writing, and directing the miniseries with his brother, Christian Long. You will be able to binge on all of The Real Stephen Blatt in the time it takes you to scroll through your Instagram feed. Each episode is roughly three minutes long with the entire miniseries clocking in at a 30-minute runtime. According to the series’ IMDB page, HBO’s The Affair‘s Darren Goldstein and Super Dark Times’ Sawyer Barth will also appear in episodes.
“We have seen tremendous success with introducing Funny or Die content to the Amazon Prime viewers,” Brian Toombs, Vice President of Partner Content at Funny or Die, said in a press release. “The audience really embraced our programming and we are excited to premiere The Real Stephen Blatt series exclusively on Prime Video.” Funny or Die has already made some of its short form content like Drunk History, Between Two Ferns, and The Very Best of Will Ferrell available to Amazon Prime subscribers.
Amazon is looking to get back on the right track after a disappointing reception from Emmy voters this year. The subscription on-demand video service received 16 nominations for the 69th Primetime Emmy Awards, the same number as last year. This year, Amazon’s smash hit Transparent is absent from the running for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series after the show’s creator Jill Soloway won the award the last two years. The show is also absent from the running for Outstanding Comedy Series after being nominated the past two years as well.
