There was once a short-lived cult science fiction TV series, from which the actor that played captain went on to star in a more high profile, successful show while the co-star, a favorite among the show’s ravenous fans, has not achieved the same level of fame and makes ends meet by signing autographs at conventions.  Sound familiar?

No it isn’t ‘Firefly’, this is ‘Spectrum’ a fictional show-within-a-show on the new web series ‘Con Man’, written and directed by and starring Alan Tudyk, the successful character actor best known for playing pilot Hoban Wash on the, yep, ‘short-lived cult science fiction TV series’.  Of course the same show gave rise to Nathan Fillion, who played the dashing Captain Mal Reynolds but who went on to much greater success and visibility on the crime soap ‘Castle.’

‘Con Man’ gives a hilarious inside look at life as a genre celeb (a far cry from a… well, REAL celeb) making a living via personal appearances on the convention circuit.  Expect playful jabs at nerd culture as well as fan-pleasing cameos by other former ‘Firefly’ stars Gina Torres (Tudyk’s onscreen wife Zoe), Summer Glau (River Tam), Sean Maher (Simon Tam) and Jewel Staite (Kaylee Frye) as well as ‘Firefly’ creator Joss Whedon (who also directed a couple of small independent films, ‘Avengers’ and ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ whatever those are).

Starring as Tudyk’s character Wray Nerely’s assistant Karen is fan favorite Felicia Day (‘Supernatural’, ‘The Guild’).

The show is also populated by familiar faces like the always excellent Leslie Jordan (‘Sordid Lives’, ‘American Horror Story’) and Mindy Sterling (the ‘Austin Powers’ films) as well as nerd faves Amy Acker (‘Angel’, ‘Person Of Interest’), Seth Green (‘Buffy’, ‘Robot Chicken’), Sean Astin (‘The Goonies’, ‘The Lord of the Rings’ trilogy), Michael Dorn and Wil Wheaton (‘Star Trek: TNG’), Candice Patton (‘The Flash’), Casper Van Dien (‘Starship Troopers’), Milo Ventimiglia (‘Heroes’), rocker Henry Rollins and ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ director James Gunn.

You can watch the trailer for the new series, which is available on Vimeo below:

Con Man centers on the post-show life of Wray Nerely (Alan Tudyk) the co-star of “Spectrum,” a sci-fi series, which was canceled before its time and went on to become a cult classic beloved by fans. Wray’s good friend, Jack Moore (Nathan Fillion) starred as the series Captain and has gone on to become a major celebrity, while Wray (Tudyk) hasn’t found his desired level of stardom. Wray is the begrudging guest of sci-fi conventions, comic book store appearances, and different pop culture events; however, everything is not as it seems from the outside. The series will explore these events and all the weird and crazy things that happen to them along the way.

Check out the hilarious and awkward series on Vimeo now!