The It Factor

In the series premiere, we go behind the scenes and watch hundreds of talented New York City actors as they go through the nerve-wracking process of casting calls and auditions. From the forty-eight actors casting director Billy Hopkins calls back, who will be chosen for the It Factor's cast of twelve?

Daisy won the Tony Award for best actress when she was eleven. Now at 21, she finds herself auditioning with aspiring actresses fresh out of college. The grind of paying his dues is starting to wear on Godfrey. He performs as a stand-up comedian by night, auditions by day and the cycle continues when he's back on stage at a comedy club the following night. Miranda auditions for and gets cast in Third Watch - her first television role. Could her days as a cleaning lady be over?

Life seems sweet for Miranda as she waits for the call to start shooting her role in Third Watch. Joy quickly turns to disappointment when her part is written out of the script. Katheryn's life as a Tae Kwan Do instructor in Toronto is in sharp contrast with the way she races around New York City. We try and keep up with her as she auditions for an O-Town video, paints her apartment, and bickers with her boyfriend, Steve. Everybody says that Kevin has ""IT"" - now he just has to audition and prove them right. Will he succeed?

We follow Kevin as he models to pay his bills and learns that sessions with casting directors aren't necessarily self-esteem building. He balances his disappointment in auditioning with his newfound love - the craft of acting. Chelsea must choose between the promise of a pop music career and the life of an aspiring actress. After much deliberation (and a visit to a psychic) she arrives at her choice. Latarsha leaves the ranks of open call supplicants by signing with an agent. Big league representation doesn't mean she won't still encounter racism in some of its more subtle forms.

Daisy gets a tattoo, proving (to herself at least) that she has grown beyond the little girl from The Secret Garden. Her conflict between past and present is further illustrated as she struggles with the musical theater world's expectations of her and her dreams for herself. PJ' s role as a fairy in The Donkey Show looks like lots of fun. At least at first. We learn that his glamorous-seeming job is taking an unglamorous toll on his body and career. Queen Esther is a woman of many talents. We see a sampling of these as she clowns with her brother, performs at PSNBC, and researches her one-woman show about reparations, The Big Payback. Jimmy isn't satisfied with his role as an understudy in The Full Monty so he auditions for a part in the network sitcom, Ed.

Jimmy distracts himself from his anxiety about waiting to hear from Ed by a trip to see his family in small town New Jersey where he's treated like a big star. While visiting with his parents, he learns that he didn't get the role; he wasn't fat enough. Godfrey goes on a series of amusing commercial auditions, but late nights in smoky comedy clubs are taking their toll and he's losing his voice. Godfrey gets a voiceover job for AT&T, but he's contracted laryngitis and loses the gig. Michaela packs and prepares to make the transition from New York to Los Angeles. Before she goes, she auditions for Sex and the City. Will she get the part and have to change her plans? Nathan is frustrated by New York auditions. When he first started out as an actor getting cast came easily now, each time he goes up for a role he's videotaped, the tape is sent to LA and who really knows what happens next? He decides to travel to LA so that he can meet some casting directors face-to-face.

Nathan's trip to LA starts at a low point - his friend is hours late picking him up at the airport and gets lower as we see that his manager has unexpectedly left town and Nathan won't get to go on any auditions during his trip to the West coast. Nathan philosophizes as he plays golf and waits to fly back to New York. Michaela is coping with her new life in Los Angeles, especially the car culture. She auditions for a Mitsubishi commercial and we see that although she was considered an actress in New York, she's being categorized as an Asian actress in LA. Miranda shows us once again what a scrapper she truly is. An audit, embarrassing auditions, and even a car accident can't defeat her.

Katheryn runs her own Tae Kwan Do school in Toronto and simultaneously pursues her acting career in New York. When an audition for THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL conflicts with her commitment to testing her students, she realizes that she must choose between her two loves. PJ's role as a fairy in THE DONKEY SHOW is so physically grueling that he gives notice so that he can pursue other acting jobs and his one-man show. What he didn't anticipate was that he would also lose his day job. He must now face his choices as a ""working actor"" without an income. Miranda finally gets a part - the role of ""Leslie the Lesbian"" in an independent film. The only catch is, when she shows up for the shoot, nobody is there.

Katheryn is on the verge of deciding between her lives in Toronto and New York. She attends an acting class that eerily mirrors her real life when she has to postpone her anniversary dinner with Steve to go shoot a guest spot in a Canadian sitcom. Upon Katheryn's return to New York, she and Steve celebrate their anniversary and commitment to each other at least for now! Despite her financial woes, Latarsha continues to chase her dream of becoming an actress. She auditions for a part in ALL MY CHILDREN and is guardedly hopeful until she goes to another audition and runs into the actress who says she got the part Latarsha was up for. Her financial worries seem to come to an end when she gets cast in a Hyundai national commercial spot. Daisy musters enthusiasm for another degrading audition to play the head of Joan of Arc in a trade show. Her frustration provokes her to take charge of her life as she attends a voice-over class and starts coaching young acting students.

Kevin is growing as an actor, both in terms of the art and the business. He seeks advice from his manager who sends Kevin on an audition for GUIDING LIGHT and suggests he consider moving to Los Angles. As we see Kevin back in the Hamptons tending bar we learn that the GUIDING LIGHT audition was fruitless, but his dreams of becoming an actor have not been deferred. Chelsea works at a Soho boutique and is in the process of interviewing managers when she gets a call from the casting director at GUIDING LIGHT. She goes in for a meeting and comes out with a recurring soap opera role. Jimmy is quick to admit that he's never satisfied with what he has. That's why he's looking for ways to move beyond the ensemble in THE FULL MONTY. When he meets talk show producer Michael Krauss Jimmy thinks his dreams of hosting a daytime variety show will be realized. He quickly learns the process is slower than he imagined.

Chelsea is anxious about her appearance on GUIDING LIGHT. The tension mounts when she realizes she's forgotten to bring a necklace that's crucial for continuity. Disaster is averted and anxiety is transformed to delight when she finds out the producers want her to return to shoot more episodes. PJ has quit THE DONKEY SHOW and lost his day job, so he's going to open calls. He auditions for CABARET. Then he and his friend Leonora wait in line for almost seven hours for a one-minute RENT audition. Katheryn shows us what a consummate professional she truly is when she stars in a student horror film for which ""amateur"" seems far too generous a description.

Kevin is still waiting for his big break, Jimmy is at the dentist's, Queen Esther rehearses THE BIG PAYBACK, and Miranda is full of plans to star in PATTI BURNS. Our actors' routines come to an abrupt halt as Kevin appears on the screen, ""It's September 11th."" Miranda is too saddened by the tragic events to celebrate finally landing her dream role, PATTI BURNS. Queen Esther and her director produce STAGE DOOR CANTEEN, a USO-type show to entertain the rescue workers. Jimmy gives us a working Broadway actor's perspective on the events following September 11th as he takes part in a candlelight vigil and joins all of Broadway in a rendition of ""New York, New York.""

See who makes it, who has it, and who is still striving for it. In The IT FACTOR's final episode we touch base with each of our thirteen actors. Godfrey has paid his dues and now he has a chance at the big time as the 7-Up spokesman. Miranda has finally landed her dream role. Kevin is still hopeful as he continues his quest for self-expression. Daisy has gotten a lead in a play at the prestigious La Jolla Playhouse. PJ furthers his dreams of a one-man show by attending a workshop at Westbeth. Jimmy lands his first major television role in THE JOB. Chelsea watches herself on Guiding Light and contemplates the future. Nathan learns that he's gotten a role in LAW & ORDER, hires a stylist, and heads back to Los Angeles. Latarsha changes her look and gets new head shots. Queen Esther gets ready for bed and makes plans for her future. Katheryn reads her fan mail as she tells us about her recent cheese commercial and her upcoming feature film. Michaela continues to audition in LA and has fina