A new scripted series from The Turner Brothers is officially headed to the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, where its pilot will make its world premiere as part of the festival’s Fiction Pilot Showcase within the Episodic section.
The showcase highlights emerging voices in television, giving audiences a first look at series poised to shape the next wave of storytelling.
At its core, FreeLance is a reflection of the grind. The series follows a young filmmaker as he chases his first movie while moving in with a tight-knit group of ambitious creatives who are all navigating the same uphill climb. Together, they juggle side hustles, unorthodox jobs, creative compromises, and the pressure of surviving in an oversaturated industry where talent alone is rarely enough.
The show doesn’t romanticize the struggle. Instead, it leans into the awkward, funny, and often chaotic realities of trying to build something meaningful while still figuring out adulthood.
It’s about rent being due, ideas being fragile, and friendships being tested by ambition, all while holding onto the belief that the work will eventually speak for itself.
The Episodic Pilot Showcase allows select projects to screen their first episodes on the big screen, offering an opportunity for creators to introduce their work to industry insiders and festival audiences in a theatrical setting.
Directed by The Turner Brothers, the series is executive produced by Cynthia Turner, Stephen Love Jr., Spence Moore II, and Kevin Fredericks.
The cast includes Spence Moore II, Lou Young, Lou Ratchett, Bernard “B Nard” Clark, René Vaca, Elijah Cooper, Kevin “KevOnStage” Fredericks, Christianee Porter, Mel Mitchell, Kyle Flood, Jaren Bretz, and London Arrington.
Fredericks, who also stars in the project, shared his excitement on Instagram after the announcement. “I’m a producer (and actor) on this original comedy pilot and it was just selected for Sundance,” he wrote. “I always wanted to go to Sundance. I didn’t expect it to happen this way!”
For anyone who has ever chased a creative dream while wondering how to pay the bills, FreeLance may feel less like fiction and more like a mirror.
Check out the other diverse projects premiering at Sundance.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Sundance Institute
