The Assistants is a Canadian teen sitcom television series created by Will McRobb and Chris Viscardi that revolves around the lives of four young Hollywood assistants and college students who compete for the approval of their eccentric boss at Kinky Bunny Pictures.
The series premiered in the USA on The N on 10 July, 2009. There are 13 half-hour episodes in the series, which was not renewed.
The Assistants premiered in South Africa on SABC3 on Wednesday 11 November 2009, at 19h30. New episodes air weekly.
Synopsis
The Assistants is about the misadventures of four Hollywood assistants as they struggle to survive one another and the unpredictable whims of their boss, an eccentric movie producer.
The star of the series is Gillian Hughes, 21. Along with fellow assistants Danny Newell, Rigby Hastings and Nate Warren, Gillian dreams of one day being a filmmaker.
An assistant for the producer Zak del Toro seems like the ideal stepping-stone.
The series follows their exploits as they answer phones, sort files, make coffee, clean dental retainers, dig through dumpsters in the dead of night, sabotage celebrity rehabs, break and enter the offices of competing producers, and in general, do anything, at any time, in hopes of winning over their irrepressible boss.
In their down time, the assistants stab one another in the back, fall in and out of love and discover exactly who they are and how far they'll go to fulfill their dreams.
Episodes
Episode 1: The Car
On her first day at "Kinky Bunny Pictures" as a new assistant to producer, Zak Del Toro, Gillian Hughes must sell his broken down old car by the end of the day, or share the same fate as her predecessor.
Meanwhile, after being mistaken for an executive on a movie set, Rigby decides to take advantage of the situation. Nate tries to record the perfect voice mail message for Zak's phone.
Episode 2: The Star
Still settling into her new job, Gillian is surprised and please when office rival Rigby passes on what seems to be a totally exciting assignment: “assistant in charge” for a press junket for Zak's movie starring Shane Baker, one of the biggest young stars in Hollywood.
The reason Rigby gave up the junket is because she's trying to pitch her screenplay to Heston Nidalu, her intense, impeccably groomed “D-Guy.”
Gillian finds out that Shane is far from the person she thought he was – and by the end of the day, she's sick of his spoiled star ways.
Episode 3: The Premiere
After three weeks of surviving the thankless tasks of her job, Gillian is eager to attend the premiere of Zak's new movie – until she finds out that she's the one who has to prepare a hotel room for Zak's premiere night ritual.
As she goes about laying out rubber chickens and locating his precious “Chicken Parm” (which she discovers is the codename of a high-class escort), the rest of the assistants schmooze at the premiere.
Nate tries to nab Gillian's roommate, Sandra, a VIP gift bag and Rigby ends up sleeping with Heston Nidalu.
Episode 4: The Morning After
The reviews are in for Zak's movie and they're awful. The only way Zak's going to survive the next few weeks is with Mr Blanky, a security blanket that, in a fit of generosity, he gave to his young nephew. Now he wants it back.
Danny and Gillian set out trying to get the blanket – with Danny all the while trying even harder to woo Gillian.
Meanwhile, Rigby wakes up next to Heston only to discover that she's taken something very precious from him – his virginity. He thinks that they're going to get married, but Rigby has to inform him that that's not the case, and Heston's heartbroken and furious.
Episode 5: The Pen
When Hope selects Gillian instead of Rigby to attend a pitch meeting with Zak, Rigby decides to sabotage her fellow assistant by stealing her pen and replacing it with one that's totally dried up.
In the meeting, where Gillian's supposed to be taking copious notes, she finds herself inkless. As a result, she must use everything she's learned on the job thus far to get a copy of the notes from Heston (who was also in the meeting) and get back at Rigby.
Episode 6: The Addiction
Something is definitely going on between Gillian and Danny. They try to hide it, but you can see it in the electric glances they sneak each other. They start to hook up but Gillian pulls back, trying to be professional.
As Gillian attempts to figure out her personal life, Zak approaches Nate with a special mission – he wants a “magic” cupcake. That is, one that's filled with pot.
Nate, in a fit of paranoia after leaving the bakery, ends up eating all the cupcakes. Uncharacteristically, Zak ends up taking care of Nate, who's totally high and even more paranoid that he was before.
Episode 7: The Wrap Party
Gillian's finally finished shooting her short film and she decides to host a wrap party and screening. After overhearing Danny say that he's bringing a date to the party, Hope suggests that she set someone up with Gillian, and Gillian hesitantly aggress.
On top of having to dealing with a blind date on one of the biggest nights (thus far) of her life, Gillian's also got to deal with the fact that Zak has accepted her invitation to the party.
With her own pet project going nowhere, Rigby is in no mood to celebrate Gillian's film at the party.
Despite Rigby's negative attitude, Gillian's film is a major success – now if she weren't so jealous of Danny's date, Melanie.
Episode 8: The Rehab
Zak is hell-bent on getting the ultra-hot and equally unstable starlet Tabitha Tinsdale to costar in his next movie – only problem is, she's in rehab.
So, while back at the office, zak desperately tries to kick his addiction to caffeine, Gillian has no choice but to join Tabitha in rehab – which, she realises, is basically a spa.
Gillian is in heaven, this is just the vacation she was looking for. She and Tabitha hit it off and Gillian sells Tabitha on the script which sends Zak back to the land of the living by lining up shots of espresso and downing them like tequila.
Episode 9: The Bully
While changing after a workout at the gym, Gillian overhears Paulette, an assistant who works for another hotshot producer on the lot, saying that her boss, valarie, has stolen one of Zak's movie ideas and is planning to pitch it to the studios before he does.
When Gillian shares this with Zak, Paulette gets fired and wants to beat Gillian down.
While Danny tries to train Gillian how to “fake fight,” Rigby goes undercover to find out more information on Valarie's pitches and in the process manages to convince Zak to improve the conditions for the assistants.
Episode 10: The Break Up
Gillian's elated to hear that her short film has been accepted into a film festival – until she learns that the festival producers strongly suggest she trim a section ... Danny's section.
Ultimately, she decides she can't do it, gaining Danny's respect and appreciation. Besides, she's got bigger fish to fry: Zak wants Gillian to break up with his girlfriend, Alicia, for him.
After she does that, it's up to Nate to get Zak's stuff back and Nate ends up “comforting” Alicia in a way no one expected.
Episode 11: The Competitions
When Rigby starts dating Gillian's totally made-over ex, Dave, Gillian finds herself jealous. The two women end up battling over him with office supplies until finally Danny and Nate have to intervene and convince the girls that Dave's the creep for pitting the two of them against each other.
The assistants cook up a plan to humiliate Dave that makes use of all the new digital Kinky Bunny security system that the paranoid Zak has just recently installed.
The end result is hilarious, but Zak ends up getting rid of the cameras, saying watching the assistants all day is just too distracting.
Episode 12: The Loophole
After a Hollywood psychic tells Zak he's going to die that day, it's up to Rigby and Gillian to be his bodyguards and fend off the Reaper.
Gillian thinks her boss has lost it, but Rigby takes advantage of the situation by getting Zak to bequeath to her all his worldly goods, along with a raise and a development deal.
Hoping to set things straight, Gillian comes up with a plan to trick death by planning a fake funeral for Zak.
Meanwhile, Danny volunteers to be the victim in CPR class so he can lock lips with the hot instructor. When a dummy gets the job, Danny ends up feeling like a dummy, especially when Nate begins making his move on the instructor.
Episode 13: The Roomies
Danny and Nate are at wits' end – Rigby's moved out of her apartment and has been crashing on both their couches for the past two weeks. They want her out, so to Gillian she goes.
When Rigby tries to criticise Gillian's lifestyle, Gillian snaps at her causing Rigby to take a step back and evaluate the way her life's going. Suddenly, Rigby's being nice to everyone.
This would be great, except that the assistants are all in the midst of planning a major dinner party for Zak and without strict taskmaster Rigby around, nothing is getting accomplished on time.
Meanwhile, Danny's having problems with Melanie and as he shares them with Gillian, the two find themselves getting closer again.
Ultimately, Rigby snaps back to her mean-girl self just in time, Zak's dinner is saved.