It Could Be Worse is a webseries created by Broadway veteran Wesley Taylor, who also stars as the show's main character: Jacob Gordon. Jacob is a young actor living in New York and struggling to get his big break, as well as struggling with his love life.
In the first season, Jacob lands a main role in a musical - something which he should be excited about. Unfortunately, it means having to deal with Veronica Bailey, a star of stage and screen who also happens to be a complete nightmare to perform with. On top of that, he has to deal with his parents separating (and their respective issues as a result), as well as his neurotic boyfriend Phillip and his hedonistic agent Sam. Plus the reappearance of an old flame.
In the second season, Jacob has given up trying to make it big onstage and decides to try screen acting instead. Though he quickly finds out that that comes with its own problems as he's left to navigate the seedy underworld of Hollywood while also trying to sustain his relationship with new boyfriend Ben.
The series was notable for being a lot Darker and Edgier than its main counterpart/competitor Submissions Only, as well as its surreal imagery and pool of cameos from other Broadway stars (particularly those who also appeared in Smash, in which Wesley Taylor also starred).
This show provides examples of:
- Bittersweet Ending: Jacob gives up his dream of being an actor as he realises that pursuing it is making his life miserable, and it's implied he and Ben will get back together in the future.
- The Cameo: Any given episode will feature a fair handful of Broadway performers.
- Casting Couch: In the first season, it's implied that Veronica picks Jacob for the part because she finds him attractive. In Season 2, a producer uses this method to cast Jacob in a movie - something the star of said movie is well aware of and calls Jacob out for it.
- Darker and Edgier: Than both its main comparisons: Smash and Submissions Only - featuring plenty of drug-taking, sex, and generally very bad behaviour.
- Hard Truth Aesop: If trying to get what you've always wanted is making you unhappy, sometimes it's better to let that particular dream go.
- Hidden Depths: In the first season, Sam appears to be little more than a complete liability who lives to make things difficult for everyone around him. By the end of the series, he's clearly the closest thing Jacob has to a friend. Turns out Sam just wants what's best for Jacob - he just doesn't always know what that is or how he should go about achieving it.
- Once Done, Never Forgotten: One of the main triggers that causes Jacob to quit acting is the realisation via a co-star that he'll never forget the fact that he got his break in film acting thanks to his skills on the Casting Couch.
- Will They or Won't They?: In the first half of the first season, a lot of the drama hinges on whether Jacob and Ben will get together. For the rest of the show, the question becomes will they stay together...
