"Idunno. TV Tropes is pretty cool!"
Andrew Bowser (born January 4, 1982 in Bowie, Maryland) is an American actor, writer, and director. He got his start in acting as a child, when he was cast as Colin in the international tour of The Secret Garden. He also played the role of young Henry in the film Henry Hill, and guest starred in an episode of Homicide: Life on the Street opposite Elijah Wood. Since then, he has gone on to write, produce, and direct (and occasionally act in) a number of short films (mostly of the independent variety), music videos, television commercials, and Sketch Comedy shorts. His content has appeared on CollegeHumor, as well as various Nerdest Industries outlets. In 2010, Bowser directed his first feature film, Jimmy Tupper Vs. The Goatman of Bowie. In 2014, he began acting as the co-host of the Nerdist podcast Bizarre States, alongside Jessica Chobot.
Bowser is best known for his quirky original comedic characters, many of whom have spawned viral videos. From 2016-17, he produced, co-directed and starred in Welcome To The Shadow Zone, an eight-episode web series (produced by Legendary Digital Networks) staring his most popular character, Marcus "Onyx the Fortuitous" Trillbury (a.k.a. "Weird Satanist Guy"). On January 22, 2023, he premiered Onyx The Fortuitous And The Talisman Of Souls, a feature-length horror-comedy film about the character, at the Sundance film Festival
He has his own website here
. His YouTube channel can be found here, where he livestreams every Friday. He also has a Twitter account.
Film:
- Henry Hill (1999): Young Henry Hill.
- A Winter Observed (2005 Short Film): Michael. Also co-directed.
- Notes From the Rogues Gallery (2007 Short Film): Daniel. Also co-directed.
- The Mother of Invention (2009 Short Film): Vincent Dooly. Also co-wrote, co-directed.
- Jimmy Tupper Vs. The Goatman of Bowie (2010): Writer, director.
- Monster Machine (2013 Short Film): Vincent Dooly. Also wrote, directed.
- Worm (2013): Worm. Also wrote, directed.
- Enter the Dangerous Mind (2013 Short Film): DJ Mude.
- House Mother (2017): Wrote, directed.
- Little Willy (2020 Short Film): Adam Castle. Also wrote, directed.
- ASMR (2019): Unnamed Man. Also wrote, directed.
- Psychopomp - Cycle 1 (The Mask) (2019 Short Film): David. Also wrote, directed.
- Self Tape (2020)
- The Green Shit (2020 Short Film): Wrote, directed.
- Thrill Me! (2020 Short Film)
- Onyx The Fortuitous And The Talisman Of Souls (2023): Mark Trillbury. Also wrote, directed.
Theatre:
- The Secret Garden (1993-94): Colin Craven (international tour, as Andy Bowser).
Television:
- Homicide: Life on the Street (1993): Derek Delmond.
- The Underground (2009): Co-writer.
- The Blade Runner Holiday Special (2013 Short): Chuck Norris as Jesus.
- Mothership (2016)
- Your Pretty Face Is Going to Hell (2017): Unnamed Cameo.
- Mana Screwed (2017): Crispin
- Avengers Mech Strike: Mech Files (2021): Directed.
Video Games
- Death Gate (1994) note : Street Rat/Misc. Child (voice, as Andy Bowser).
Web Video:
- Vincent Dooly (2008-2017): Vincent Dooly. Also wrote, directed.
- Onyx the Fortuitous (AKA "Weird Guy") (2012-Present): Mark Trillbury. Also wrote, directed.
- The Confident Homeless Man (2012): Homeless Man. Also wrote, directed.
- Mark Rigley: Audition Fails (2013): Mark Rigley. Also wrote, directed.
- Zombie Gary (2013): Gary Johnson. Also wrote, directed.
- The Caps Rap (2013): Himself. Also wrote, directed.
- The Caps Rap 2 (Time For the Playoffs) (2013): Himself. Also wrote, directed
- The Crunchyroll Holiday Special (2015): Santa Fanboy.
- The Dangers of Having a Chainsaw for a Hand (Ash vs. Evil Dead tie-in) (2016): Wrote, directed.
- Welcome To The Shadow Zone (2016): Mark Trillbury. Also wrote, co-directed.
- FRIDAY FAVES with Onyx the Fortuitous! (2018): Mark Trillbury. Also co-wrote, directed.
- Onyx: On the Couch (2018): Mark Trillbury (voice). Also co-wrote, directed.
- Onyx's Slashback Video Pick of the Week (2018): Mark Trillbury. Also wrote, directed.
- Onyx Date (2019-Present): Mark Trillbury. Also wrote, directed.
- Onyx's Infernal Communion (2020): Mark Trillbury. Also wrote, directed.
- Shame Breakers With Onyx the Fortuitous! (2020): Mark Trillbury. Also wrote, directed.
Web Original:
- Nerdist News (1 episode, 2013): Mark Trillbury. Also wrote, directed.
- Nerdest Presents (2015-2019): Marty Casale, misc.
Tropes associated with Andrew Bowser's content and roles:
- Bland-Name Product: Zig-zagged: Initially, Onyx works at an Arby's restaurant (as seen in the viral video "Weird Arby's Guy"). In the Nerdist-sponsored videos, however, he works at the suspiciously similar "Marty's Meat Hut". Once Bowser severed his ties to Nerdest, Onyx returned to Arby's (as seen in "We Dem Arbyz Boy Z"). Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls has Onyx back at Marty's Meat Hut.
- Butt-Monkey: Onyx, naturally. With the sole exception of Jessamyn, everyone in his life disrespects him and screws him over, and everything he tries his hand at ends in disaster (except the LARPing competition in Episode 7).
- The Cameo: Due to his connections in show business, Bowser has been able to wrangle many a B-list celebrity into appearing in his videos:
- Barbara Crampton appears during a Monsterpalooza interview segment in Episode 1 of "Welcome to the Shadow Zone". She later would appear as a demon in "House Mother", and as Onyx's mother Nancy in Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls.
- Jeffrey Combs briefly appears in the same episode (walking past them during the interview).
- One of the Nameless Ghouls from Ghost appears in Episode 5 of "Welcome to the Shadow Zone". (Viewers commented that it was likely Tobias Forge, a.k.a. Papa Emeritus himself.)
- Quentin Tarantino appeared as himself in "Weird Sundance Guy". (Bowser was attending the Sundance Film Festival to premier Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls.)
- Barbara Crampton appears during a Monsterpalooza
- Catchphrase: For Onyx, "Idunno." Occasionally followed by "[x] is pretty cool!"
- In later videos, "Meow, meow!" becomes Onyx's customary introduction.
- Confused Bystander Interview: Many of his viral videos are filmed in this format.
- Fantastic Racism: Gary experiences it (rather understandably) in the "Gary the Zombie" shorts. It's most overt in the "Meeting the Parents" episode, where his girlfriend's father says outright that he doesn't want his daughter dating Gary due to "[his] heritage".
- The Grotesque: Gary. (Well, he is a zombie.)
- Foreshadowing: A surprising example: in the promotional Foundmi video "Onyx & The MISSING MINI-FIGS!!!", Marcus and Jessemyn come across Marcus's stepdad, Todd playing with Marcus's tabletop gaming minifigs. They interrupt him just he exclaims, "But you're only a Class 3 Warlock! You can't cast-" That in-game scenario plays out in Real Life in Episode 7, when Marcus wins a LARPing competition.
- Hot Witch: The titular trio of witches in the promotional video "Onyx & The Witches!". Jessemyn from "Welcome To the Shadow Zone" may also qualify.
- Manchild: Many of his characters fit this to a T. Bowser himself (by his own admission) sometimes does as well.
- Missing Episode: Two episodes of "Onyx On the Couch" — one in which Onyx interviews Pinhead, and one where he's joined by a bevy of horror movie monsters — were taken down due to copyright reasons.
- Loser Protagonist: His character role in just about all of the videos where he appears.
- Meet Cute: In the first episode of "Gary The Zombie" (which is actually called "The Meet Cute"), Gary and Vanessa bump into each other on the sidewalk, causing Gary to drop his book.
- Our Zombies Are Different: Gary, the protagonist from the "Gary the Zombie" shorts, resembles a traditional undead, decomposing zombie. However, he seemingly has normal bodily and cognitive functions, and (aside from body parts occasionally falling off) presents like a cultured, well-groomed, and well-spoken college student. It's hinted that zombies like Gary are born zombies, rather than actual reanimated dead.
- Technically-Living Zombie: Even though he has a rotten face, Gary appears to be one: he can eat and drink normally, and seems to have ordinary bodily functions. Though his finger did fall off on one occasion, and it's briefly hinted that he has a stench.
- Verbal Tic: Onyx: "Idunno."
Tropes found in Welcome to the Shadow Zone:
- All Just a Dream: Episode 8 turns out to be this.
- Basement-Dweller: One of the driving elements of Welcome To The Shadow Zone. Onyx, despite being (roughly) in his early twenties, still lives at home in his mom's garage. His mother greatly resents this, and complains loudly in the first episode about being unable to do anything for herself because of the expense of her son living at home. In the season finale, she finally orders him to to move out in order to make room for Todd's tee-shirt business (forcing Onyx to move cross-country to live with his father).
- Berserk Button: Onyx does not take kindly to people saying bad things about him — to the point that he created a segment on his show ("Truth Teller") just to "set the record straight" about the misinformation that others are spreading.
- Candlelit Ritual: Onyx and Jessemyn have a candlelit "dark feast" in Episode 4 of "Welcome to the Shadow Zone", in an attempt to earn the favor of the "Ancient Ones".
- Disappeared Dad: Onyx's biological father, Carl, left when Onyx was very young; he currently lives out of a hotel room in Las Vegas, and rarely speaks to his son. Onyx has mentioned that his father is ashamed of him, and wants nothing to do with him. In the finale, Onyx moves cross-country to try to live with his father.
- Extreme Doormat: Marcus "Onyx the Fortuitous" Trillbury. Everyone pushes him around or uses him in some fashion: his mother and stepfather, his boss, his peers, his bandmates, and even his supposed "friends" (with Jessemyn being the only known exception).
- Fun with Acronyms: In college, Todd was a member of Sigma Alpha Gamma.
- Geek Physique: The very nerdy Onyx is heavyset (and routinely gets teased about his weight).
- Goth: If his name alone wasn't a giveaway, Onyx dresses in black, is obsessed with horror movies (and morbid subjects in general), performs in a Black Metal band, and is a professing Satanist.
- Jessemyn is a 1990s-style Goth, sporting a lacy black wardrobe with all the trappings (chokers, fishnets, corsets, black lipstick) and a love for witchcraft and mysticism. Onyx's stepdad even nicknames her "Fairuza".
- Hidden Depths: Implied with Todd. Despite being a stereotypical Jerk Jock, he's rather knowledgeable about nerd culture, and secretly enjoys tabletop games.
- Hollywood Satanism: Onyx the Fortuitous is a self-proclaimed Satanist, and occasionally dips into this (wearing black robes, carrying out candlelit rituals, keeping a statue of Baphomet on his dresser, etc). In Episode 5 of "Welcome to the Shadow Zone", he has a member of the band Ghost perform a "Satanic blessing" over him.
- Homage: According to Andrew Bowser, "Welcome To The Shadow Zone" is an homage to Wayne's World (especially the Saturday Night Live shorts) and the "smoking circle" scenes from That '70s Show.
- I Just Want to Have Friends: Onyx is lonely, and is desperate to befriend attractive, "cool" people.
- Jerk Jock: Onyx's stepdad, Todd was one in college, and remains one as an adult.
- Left Hanging: In Episode 8, Onyx is forced to move out of his mother's garage, and travels cross-country to be with his estranged father in Las Vegas. The episode ends with Onxy greeting his father at the door of his motel room and asking whether he can crash with him. Welcome to the Shadow Zone wasn't picked up for a second season, leaving Onyx's fate unresolved.
- Mean Boss: Masha. (Well, mean shift manager, anyway.) Onyx even dedicates an entire "Truth Teller" segment to her. Given that Onyx is a very Unreliable Narrator, it's difficult to know how bad she truly is. However, she does violate employee rules by going on an extra smoke break—and fires Onyx after he calls her out for it.
- Nerds Are Virgins: Onyx, naturally. In Episode 5, it's revealed that he's never even kissed a girl before. He tries to remedy this by going on the dating show "Never Been Smooched", and ends up being paired with a beautiful woman; naturally, his nose starts gushing blood all over his date moments after he sees her.
- Never My Fault: Onyx is constantly making up excuses for his personal shortcomings, be it his failure to finish his chores, his poor performance at work, or his penis size. The Truth Teller segments are nothing but excuses.
- Nightmare Fuel Station Attendant: Onyx fancies himself to be one. In reality, he comes across as pathetic rather than cool or intimidating.
- No Social Skills: Onyx, again. In Episode 4, he confesses to having "crippling social anxiety".
- Stereotypical Nerd: As revealed in Welcome to the Shadow Zone, Onyx is every nerdy trope rolled into one package. He lives in his mother's garage, is overweight, sports a mismatched, Hot Topic-style wardrobe (complete with a trilby), and has poor grooming habits. Everyone pushes him around, he has No Social Skills, he suffers from numerous allergies and phobias, he's never had a girlfriend, and his hobbies include comic books, video games, tabletop RPGs, Anime (particularly erotica), and classic horror movies. Oh, and he's a furry.
- Stylistic Suck: "Welcome to the Shadow Zone" is built on this trope. The show is filmed in Onyx's garage bedroom, the graphics are stuck in the mid-1990s, none of the shots are properly framed, filming is constantly interrupted by unscheduled "guests" (including Onyx's mother and stepfather), and you get the general impression that the entire show is improvised.
- Show Within a Show: The fictional matchmaking show "Never Been Smooched", which Onyx appears on in Episode 5.
- Teeny Weenie:
- Wacky Fratboy Hijinks: Todd got up to lots of crazy shenanigans in college (and is only too happy to relive his Sigma Alpha Gamma "glory days").
