MUMBAI: Fashion designer Masaba Gupta plays a fictional version of herself in Netflix’s upcoming series Masaba Masaba, which has been inspired by real events. Masaba Masaba is not a documentary but is a fictional version of events in Masaba and her mother Neena Gupta’s life. This concept hasn’t been explored much in India, but in the West, we have seen many artists, mainly comedians, adopt this format for TV shows.
Here are some of the shows where celebrities played fictional versions of themselves
1. Episodes
This series starred Matt LeBlanc as a heightened version of himself. In the show, Matt is an actor who is trying to revive his career as nothing significant has happened to him since his success on Friends. In real life, Matt took a break after the spin-off Joey but the show version of the actor is more of a self-centred guy who suffers from lack of self-esteem.
2. Seinfeld
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The iconic comedy series starred Jerry Seinfeld as Jerry Seinfeld. While his name and profession stayed the same, the show was a fictional version of events created by Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David. In this universe, Jerry is a minor celebrity who has some strange and hilarious experiences with his friends in New York City.
3. Curb Your Enthusiasm
This Larry David show saw the comedian playing himself. Like in real life, the show’s Larry is known for co-creating Seinfeld and is a successful personality. His day-to-day experiences with his family and friends highlight his dry and sharp humour. The show featured various cameos from real-life celebrities and comedians who also play heightened versions of themselves. Curb Your Enthusiasm has had 10 seasons in 20 years.
4. Louie
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Louie was cancelled after airing for five seasons.
Starring stand-up comedian Louis CK, Louie saw the comedian playing a fictional version of himself. Quite like the earlier seasons of Seinfeld, Louie also features bits of stand-up comedy by the lead actor. Also, events from his life are shown in a fictional format.
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5. The Sarah Silverman Program
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Along with Sarah Silverman, the show also starred her sister Laura.
With Sarah Silverman at the centre, The Sarah Silverman Program featured the comedian and her sister Laura playing fictional versions of themselves. This TV series showcased Sarah’s style of humour in an unapologetic manner. Her character on the show is an irresponsible woman who acts impulsively and ends up in awkward but hilarious situations.
6. Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23
While this sitcom had a short run, it developed a cult following over the years. Krysten Ritter played the protagonist who lives next door to actor James Van Der Beek. James played a fictionalised version of himself, who is trying to revive his acting career by taking some extreme measures.
7. The abundant cameos in Entourage
The HBO show Entourage explored the Hollywood landscape in detail. Entourage featured multiple cameos every season, with some celebrities popping in for just a few seconds, while some others had full story arcs. Everyone from Martin Scorsese, James Cameron, Bob Saget, Jessica Simpson, Matt Damon, Jimmy Kimmel, Kanye West among others appeared on the show, playing a mean Hollywood celebrity version of themselves.
SOURCE – THE INDIAN EXPRESS
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