'Underemployed': Meet the Cast of MTV's New Dramedy (Video)

Brothers & Sisters alum Craig Wright joins the MTV family with Underemployed, a new series about five young adults struggling to make their way after college in a struggling economy.

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Sound familiar?

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The subject matter hits close to home not only for graduates across the U.S., but for Wright, who based the characters on his own son and his group of friends. “It’s a world where unpaid internships are advertised as the new glamour jobs, terrible bosses abound, and romantic miscues and changing relationships are a day-to-day occurrence,”Wright says in the show’s press notes. “Even in times of economic crisis, life is still best lived in terms of love, laughs, friendship, romance and fun. And beer. Lots of local Chicago beer.”  

Featuring a relatively unknown cast, the series will likely draw attention from Rock of Ages fans with star Diego Boneta in one of the ensemble roles. But don’t expect to hear him sing on this project.

“Rock of Ages was the perfect introduction. People can see me sing, dance and act -- which is what I do -- but now I want to keep my acting career and my singing career completely separate,” Boneta tells The Hollywood Reporter. “I don't want to be playing Diego on the show, I’m playing Miles. And Miles only sings in the shower.”

Boneta’s character is an aspiring actor/model who dreams of donning Calvin Klein’s briefs on billboards across the world. But for the time being, he’ll have to settle for a gig as a cater waiter with a few stripping opportunities on the side.

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“He’s put in the craziest situations,” Boneta says of Miles. “My character’s kind of the comedic relief of the story, not because he’s the clown, but because he’s the one willing to go wherever it takes to pay the bills.”

Isreali-born actress Inbar Lavi, who has guested on The Closer, Entourage, Criminal Minds and CSI: Miami, plays Raviva, a passionate singer/songwriter who takes an unexpected turn into motherhood with her college sweetheart Lou (Jared Kusnitz, Secret Life of the American Teenager).

“[Raviva’s] passionate about everything,” says Lavi. “About her lover, about her baby, about her friends, about her career, about her music – about life in general.”

When Raviva shows up on his doorstep nine months pregnant (the couple called it quits approximately nine months earlier), Lou’s do-gooder, save-the-environment activities are not going to be enough to pay the bills.

“He’s gotta figure out, ‘how do I still maintain what I wanna do, but how do I support a family at the same time? Where’s the happy medium?’” Kusnitz tells THR. “He’s also struggling with growing up a whole lot faster than he ever anticipated and having to do a job that he doesn’t really want, but he’s gotta be a dad first.”

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Rounding out the cast are Michele Ang (Neighbours) as Sofia, a former valedictorian working at a donut shop and on the verge of a sexual awakening, and Sarah Habel (CSI: NY, Party Down, Hawaii Five-0) as Daphne, a ditzy corporate intern looking for love in all the wrong places.

Underemployed makes its debut on on Tuesday, Oct. 16 at 10 p.m. on MTV. The project is MTV's latest foray into scripted fare, which the network hopes will benefit from the success of its predecessors Teen Wolf and Awkward. Wright's former credits also include United States of Tara, Lost, Dirty Sexy Money and Six Feet Under.

For more from THR's interview with the actors, watch the video above. And see Lavi and Kusnitz flex their improv muscles with an impromptu interview in the clip below.

Email: Sophie.Schillaci@thr.com; Twitter: @SophieSchillaci