''Leap Year'' is an American

comedy-drama Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...

series created and executive produced by

Wilson Cleveland Wilson Cleveland (born July 4, 1974) is an American actor, producer and writer. He is known as the creator, producer and co-star of ''Leap Year'' and ''The Temp Life''. Career In 2006, Cleveland created and starred as the character Nick Chiapet ...

and Yuri Baranovsky, who also star as brothers Derek and Aaron Morrison. The series, sponsored by

Hiscox Hiscox Ltd. is an Anglo-Bermudan insurance provider, listed on the London Stock Exchange. An underwriter at Lloyd's of London, the company largely specialises in niche areas of the market, offering property and casualty insurance aimed at compa ...

, about five former co-workers starting a tech company, debuted June 6, 2011, on Hulu and YouTube. The first season had received 3.7 million streams as of February 29, 2012, when it was announced the series had been renewed for a second season, which premiered on June 18, 2012.

Reception

The series received generally favorable reviews from critics.

TheWrap ''TheWrap'' is an American online news website covering the business of entertainment and media via digital, print and live events. It was founded by journalist Sharon Waxman Sharon I. Waxman (born c.1963) is an American author, journalist, ...

's John Sellers called ''Leap Year'' "a well-wrought online comedy," adding that while the series was sponsored by a brand, "even those who are cynical about such matters should laugh at the show." ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also r ...

'' contributor Jesse Thomas titled his August 9, 2011 review "''Leap Year'': The Web Series Every Entrepreneur Should Watch" and '' New York Observer'' tech writer Jessica Roy noted, "The show follows the ups (but mostly downs) of building a startup, with a wry comedic voice and plenty of inside jokes for the tech set." In his August 1, 2012 review, television critic Keith McDuffee wrote, "I’m not sure I care about any of these characters enough. I struggle to see what anyone sees in Aaron besides that he's apparently good in business. Aaron's brother, Derek (Wilson Cleveland) doesn't yet have a meaty enough role to latch onto, and Olivia (Daniela DiIorio) is almost right up there with how I feel about Aaron: lots of negative vibes." The

International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences or IADAS is an international organization founded in 1998 in New York City to help drive the creative, technical, and professional progress of the Internet and evolving forms of interactive and ...

honored ''Leap Year'' with the 2012

Webby Award The Webby Awards are awards for excellence on the Internet presented annually by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, a judging body composed of over two thousand industry experts and technology innovators. Categories includ ...

for Best Online Series. The series also received Streamy and

Banff World Media Festival The Banff World Media Festival (formerly known as the Banff World Television Festival) is an international media event held in the Canadian Rockies at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel in Banff, Alberta, Canada. The festival is dedicated to world ...

Awards for Best Branded Entertainment Series and the IAWTV Award for Best Dramatic Series at CES in 2013.

Plot

Season 1 (2011)

After being laid-off from their corporate day jobs, Aaron, Bryn, Derek, Olivia and Jack compete to get their businesses off the ground when a mystery benefactor promises to invest $500,000 in one of their startups.

Season 2 (2012)

Six months have passed since Aaron, Bryn, Derek, Olivia and Jack won half a million dollars by banding together to create a holographic video conferencing platform called C3D. Now living in

Silicon Valley Silicon Valley is a region in Northern California that serves as a global center for high technology and innovation. Located in the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area, it corresponds roughly to the geographical areas San Mateo County ...

with launch day approaching, the founders of C3D are beset by a mysterious series of setbacks.

Cast and characters

Main cast

as Derek Morrison, Aaron's older half brother and one of C3D's original founders. A series of events involving a lawsuit sees Derek betray his friends in return for the lawsuit being dismissed. * Alexis Boozer Sterling as Bryn Arbor, a brilliant coder and C3D's sardonic Chief Technology Officer. Bryn developed C3D's holographic video technology and built the prototype from scratch. Bryn shuns the spotlight but as a virtue of her talents cannot fully escape it. She would rather spend hours tinkering away with headphones on, not talking to anybody. She is the type of person who wears a spiked collar so she can stab people in the face when they hug her. * Yuri Baranovsky as Aaron Morrison, CFO at C3D, Aaron is married to Lisa and struggles with the demanding schedule of starting a company. Aaron is the voice of reason behind Jack's insanity. * Daniela DiIorio as Olivia Reddox, C3D's acerbic

chief marketing officer A chief marketing officer (CMO), also called a global marketing officer or marketing director, or chief brand officer, is a corporate executive responsible for managing marketing activities in an organization. Whilst historically these titles may ...

, whose short temper leads her to quit C3D until she meets Sam Berry, an enigmatic stranger who motivates her to reconsider her resignation and rejoin the team. * Drew Lanning as Jack Sather, C3D's CEO who is obsessed with the idea of becoming an iconic, Steve Jobsian leader, but cannot get out of his own way. * Rachel Risen as Lisa Morrison, Aaron's long-suffering wife.

Recurring

Episodes

Season 1 (2011)

Season 2 (2012)

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Leap Year American comedy web series YouTube original programming Streamy Award-winning channels, series or shows 2011 American television series debuts Television shows set in Santa Clara County, California Television series about computing 2010s American comedy-drama television series