Ask any recent graduate, and they will surely tell you that navigating life fresh out of college is both a tricky and daunting task. Fortunately, Fox’s new sitcom “Cooper Barrett’s Guide to Surviving Life” offers some help in navigating those unfamiliar waters — mainly by giving examples of what not to do.
Jack Cutmore-Scott stars as the title character who must work his way out of absurd situations while finding his place in the world. Scott works alongside a cast of other characters, including his roommates Barry (played by James Earl) and Neal (played by Charlie Saxton), his neighbor and potential love interest Kelly (Meaghan Ruth) and his older brother Josh (“Hangover” alum Justin Bartha).
“I think he’s just a really relatable character,” Cutmore-Scott said in reference to Cooper. “He’s fresh out of school and struggling to figure out what he wants to do with his life, and I think that’s something that a lot of people are going to be able to connect with."
The show, which has only aired three episodes, premiered earlier this month. Already, the character has given lessons on surviving insufficient funds, being a plus-one to special occasions and dealing with that one lovable jerk everyone has in their friend group.
Cutmore-Scott said that as the season goes on, audiences will continue to peek into Cooper’s world and get to know the character better.
“There’s an episode coming up where Cooper’s parent’s come to town, and that one’s a great deal of fun,” Cutmore-Scott said. “They’re quite interesting people, and seeing how Cooper and his brother try to out do each other for their dad’s attention is really funny.”
Through the episodes that have aired, one thing is clear: the cast is having just as good of a time shooting the show as audiences are watching it. Cutmore-Scott attributed this to the cast’s genuine camaraderie.
“Working with all of them is such fun,” Cutmore-Scott said. “We genuinely enjoy working with each other and hanging out with each other, and it’s nice to genuinely be able to call the people you work with on a daily basis not just your peers, but also your friends.”
The cast is gearing up to visit college campuses across the country to screen episodes of the show as well as answer questions about it and the tour will kick off at ASU on Monday. Students can meet the cast from noon until 2 p.m. at the bookstore before attending a free screening of a pair of episodes at 4:30 p.m. at the AMC Centerpoint on Mill Avenue where the cast will be available for a Q&A afterwards.
“I’m really excited about getting to meet people who can relate so closely to the show,” Cutmore-Scott said. “I’m really looking forward to seeing what things they wind up taking away from the episodes we’re going to show.”
The actor said that although the show is just beginning to air its freshman season, he is hopeful that audiences will like it enough to want to see more.
“I love playing Cooper,” Cutmore-Scott said. “He’s just a fun, real guy trying to navigate the waters of being fresh out of school and discovering life as an adult. I hope people feel the same way about him as I do.”
“Cooper Barrett’s Guide to Surviving Life” airs Sunday nights on Fox and returns on Feb. 14. Students can grab tickets to Monday’s screening at: http://www.gofobo.com/COOPERASU.
Reach the reporter at seweinst@asu.edu or follow @S_Weinstein95 on Twitter.
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