Local cast hopes they've 'brewed' the next sitcom based in Wisconsin

RACINE, Wis. (CBS 58) -- There is a rich history of sitcoms based in Wisconsin. From Happy Days and Laverne & Shirley to Step by Step and That '70s Show, TV executives have long had an affinity for the Badger State.

Now, there's a grassroots effort to add another show to that collection.

Evan Guirsch is the creator of 'Brewed Awakening,' a sitcom he's hoping to bring to either network television or a streaming platform. Last month, he invited CBS 58 to watch the auditions as Guirsch and his crew held a casting call for the lead character, Tommy Donahue.

Donahue is an accomplished California surfer who decides to uproot his family after his wife, a marine biologist, dies in the Pacific Ocean after a shark attack.

"He can't bear to be there anymore," Guirsch said of Donahue's character. "It's where he first met his wife. It's where his kids were conceived. He cannot be there anymore, so he needs an escape."

Guirsch, who grew up in Wisconsin but has also spent lots of time in California, wanted to create a show that would touch on the cultural clash between the two states.

He decided to base the comedy in Sheboygan. Donahue decides to move there because that's where his childhood friend, Andy, lives after deciding to chase his dream of opening a craft brewery.

"You know, I thought of, 'What would be the one city in Wisconsin that sounds like a Wisconsin name?'" Guirsch said. "And I said Sheboygan."

The rest of the cast has already been selected. Local performers will play the role of Donahue's children, young piano prodigy, Luke, and his bratty, influencer-obsessed big sister, Sydney.

"I really like how it's a family going through big changes, especially my character," Autumn Madsen, who's playing Sydney, said. "She's going through huge changes in her life."

Madsen is a Racine County native, as is Bob Benson, who plays the show's villain, the owner of a larger brewery in town that has his sights set on buying out Andy's brewery.

"What makes a villain likable is the challenge of playing a villain and having fun with it," Benson said.

After five in-person audtions and two virtual ones, the role of Tommy went to Ben C. Adams, a Racine native who's spent more than a decade in California.

While finding the Tommy was a big step, there's still a long way to go. Guirsch will not spend the next few months fundraising.

The crew is raising money that will go toward production of a pilot episode. That is to shoot that next June in Racine.

Once the pilot is shot, Guirsch will go to market, hoping to find a taker, either with a major network or with a streaming platform.

"We have some connections in Hollywood and in the entertainment industry," he said. "And we're gonna try to work those connections and see if we get it on television, streaming, whatever direction it goes."

While the show is a comedy, Guirsch said he believes most viewers will be able to connect with the underlying theme of family. Regardless of how it turns out, the crew plans to have plenty of their own laughs as they work to create the next memorable sitcom based in Wisconsin.

"You're all fighting for the same common good," Benson said. "And putting a piece of entertainment together that is well done is a great reward."