History Series / ZachStoneIsGonnaBeFamous

''Zach Stone Is Gonna Be Famous'' is a Creator/{{MTV}} mockumentary sitcom created by Creator/BoBurnham and Dan Lagana that aired for one season from May 2 to June 29, 2013.

The series revolves around protagonist Zach Stone (played by Burnham), an 18-year-old Boston high school graduate with his eyes set on fame and fortune. Instead of going to college, he spends his life savings on hiring a camera crew from MTV to film his daily life (or, as he calls it, his "pre-celebrity" life) and his attempts to become famous, giving himself the entire summer break to do so before his friends and LoveInterest Amy leave for college.

* DumbassHasAPoint: Zach makes a few good points, like when he talked about how a person with no talent could become famous and how celebrity chefs are known more for their personality than skill.

* ImStandingRightHere: Zach calls the boom operator "fat" in one episode, and the camera pans to see his unhappy face.

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:The finale ends with Zach speaking candidly in a live news studio interview about how his pursuits of fame have affected those around him, and ultimately confessing his love for Amy and leaving the interview to tell her in person. They get together to finally begin a relationship, and Zach states that he doesn't need to be famous as much as he needs to be with her. However, the two are suddenly mobbed by a small group who are now fans of his following his appearance on the news. Zach immediately basks in his fame, singing his theme song and signing an autograph, and we pan over to Amy, whose smile for Zach slowly turns into an unhappy, disappointed look at the camera. While Zach has finally found both fame and love, it's left {{ambiguous|Ending}} whether he's truly learned anything or is regressing back to his old self, and whether he's chosen his fans over Amy.]]

* {{Irony}}: Zach spends the entire show hopping from one paper-thin persona to the next in his pursuit of fame, trying to plant himself in media-ready situations or act like characters[=/=]people he's seen in the media. [[spoiler:When he finally ends up on the news in the finale, he has a rare moment of candid honesty, owning up to the effect his behavior has had on those around him and confessing his genuine love for Amy. He leaves in the middle of the interview to tell her in person, and the two are then mobbed by a group of dozens who are now Zach's fans, having been won over by the love story between them. For all of Zach's efforts to act like someone he's not to become famous, he chooses to be honest while on the biggest platform he's ever been given and throws his shot at fame away to be with Amy, only to end up finally becoming famous precisely for those reasons.]]

The show ran for a 12-episode first season, and was cancelled due to low ratings three days before the season finished airing. However, it experienced renewed interest following Burnham's later professional success, and more directly gained a resurgence in popularity after the release of his 2021 special ''[[Film/BoBurnhamInside Inside]]''. On December 24, 2021, the show was [[https://www.netflix.com/title/70286256 added]] to Netflix US.

** In the first episode, Zach makes an attempt to slide down the wooden banister on his staircase, only to break it. In a subsequent episode, the banister is shown to be put back with duck tape.

* CouchGag: Each episode features a different theme song (while still using the same melody) related to Zach's scheme in the episodes.

* JerkassWithAHeartOfGold: Despite how his search for fame comes off as self-centered, Zach does have redeeming qualities. For instance:

** Helping Greg pack for college after [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech Greg called him out for his selfishness in an attempt to rescue him.]]

Taking place in Boston, the series revolves around protagonist Zach Stone (played by Burnham), an 18-year-old recent high school graduate with his eyes set on fame and fortune. Instead of going to college, he spends his life savings on hiring a camera crew from MTV to film his daily life (or, as he calls it, his "pre-celebrity" life) and his attempts to become famous, giving himself the entire summer break to do so before his friends and LoveInterest Amy leave for college.

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:The finale ends with Zach leaving a live news studio interview to be with Amy; they finally get together to begin a relationship, and Zach confesses that he doesn't need to be famous as much as he needs to be with her. However, the two are suddenly mobbed by a small group who are now fans of his following his appearance on the news. Zach immediately basks in his fame, singing his theme song and signing an autograph, and we pan over to Amy, whose smile for Zach slowly turns into an unhappy, disappointed look at the camera. While Zach has finally found both fame and love, it's left ambiguous whether he's truly learned anything or is regressing back to his old self, and whether he's chosen his fans over Amy.]]

The show only ran for a 12-episode first season, as it was cancelled due to low ratings three days before the season finished airing. However, it experienced renewed interest following Burnham's later professional success, and more directly gained a resurgence in popularity after the release of his 2021 special ''[[Film/BoBurnhamInside Inside]]''. On December 24, 2021, the show was [[https://www.netflix.com/title/70286256 added]] to Netflix US.

After a 12-episode first season, the show was officially cancelled due to low ratings three days before the first season finished airing. However, it experienced renewed interest following Burnham's later professional success, and more directly gained a resurgence in popularity after the release of his 2021 special ''[[Film/BoBurnhamInside Inside]]''. On December 24, 2021, the show was [[https://www.netflix.com/title/70286256 added]] to Netflix US.