World Premiere at SeriesFest for Chicago Comedy Pilot ‘I Didn’t Mean to Go Mental’

One of the most prestigious television pilot showcases in the country is SeriesFest in Denver, and a promising Chicago project will be making its debut there this week. I Didn’t Mean to Go Mental is the co-creation of Carly Glenn and Amy McIntyre, directed by Layne Marie Williams, alongside a stellar Chicago cast and crew. The pilot makes its World Premiere at SeriesFest today, Monday, May 8th.

“SeriesFest is such a fabulous opportunity for us,” Glenn shared with SCREEN. “We were thrilled when we got the notification. It feels great to be recognized, and it’s such an amazing way to kick off our festival circuit. This acceptance means that there is definitely a chance we go to series.”

For those of you not at SeriesFest this week, here is your first look for I Didn’t Mean to Go Mental…

A Closer Look at the Pilot

I Didn’t Mean To Go Mental, written by Glenn and co-created with McIntyre, filmed in Chicago in June. This unlikely story of two women, a 27 year old just off her dad’s insurance and a working mom, who crash their cars into each other in a school parking lot and forced to spend a weekend together in a psychiatric ward, is inspired by the very different lives of Glenn and McIntyre. “It’s honestly just a very heightened version of some of the things we experience individually,” McIntyre says, “and it’s such a lovely, unlikely friendship that Carly and I just felt we had to put it in a script.” 

Click here for SCREEN’s exclusive behind-the-scenes photos and coverage from the shoot this summer.

Meet the Cast and Crew

Almost Pi Productions brought in a dream team with Layne Marie Williams (Zen Room, Christmas Pitch) directing the pilot. “I signed onto this project immediately,” says Williams. “This story is an opportunity to tenderly examine the significance of mental health through the perspectives of two vastly different women.” The pilot’s key crew also includes cinematographer Gianna Aquilina (The Girl Inside, White People Money), producers Grace Hahn and Aimy Tien, and UPM and producer Ashton Swinford (Wizdom).

Also bringing Glenn and McIntyre’s script to life are the amazing actors. The cast is made up of talented Chicago actors, some of which include Mickey O’Sullivan (Chicago PD, The Chi), Katie Maringer (Don’t Log Off, Young People), Kroydell Galima (Chicago Med, The Chi), Breon Arzell (Southside), Antoine McKay (Southside, Empire), The Pierce Twins, and Kimberly Michelle Vaughn (Empire, Hot Date).

What’s Next for the Pilot

Following the SeriesFest World Premiere, I Didn’t Mean to Go Mental heads to its New York City premiere, which will be announced soon.

“We are riding the festival wave,” Glenn declared to SCREEN today. “And we are so excited to see how IDMTGM performs in front of all of these audiences.”

Glenn and McIntyre will dedicate the second half of 2023 to pitching the pilot to networks, navigating through the festival circuit, and bringing this promising project to series.

“This Chicago cast and crew is so talented, and the pilot reflects just how much chemistry we all had on set,” McIntyre shared with SCREEN. “We are confident we will find the perfect home for IDMTGM.”

Check back here at SCREEN for updates as this pilot forges ahead. You can also click right here to subscribe to our weekly email newsletter.