How Serena Kerrigan and 3 Other TikTokers are Changing TV

Serena Kerrigan wrote her college application essay about wanting to make TV and movies, but by her late 20s, she figured life had simply taken her elsewhere. She rose to viral fame by uploading dating advice on TikTok during the pandemic. That advice spun off into a card game, a series of live shows, and even a book. Kerrigan, whose online persona is known as “Serena F***ing Kerrigan,” loved what she was doing, but she always hoped she’d come back to her first love—writing.

On Dream Bigger, Kerrigan chatted with host Siffat Haider about the next big adventure that’s bringing her, in a sort of full-circle kismet kind of way, back to her TV and movie writing dreams.

Serena F-ing Kerrigan is peacocking

Kerrigan’s first-ever series, Older, Hotter, Wiser, launched May 19 on Peacock. She developed, wrote, and shot the series as part of Peacock’s Creator Accelerator Program. (She also stars in the show, because she simply wasn’t busy enough before, I guess?)

Older, Hotter, Wiser is about a young woman ready to take on Hollywood, but first, she must get there. When a logistical mishap forces her and her boyfriend into a chaotic road trip to LA, what starts as a simple journey spirals into a wild ride filled with unexpected detours, mischief, and a reckoning with her past. As old mistakes resurface and the carefully crafted persona she built online begins to blur with reality, she’s forced to confront what she truly wants—for her career, her relationship, and herself. She’s older, hotter, and on the verge of something big. But is she finally wiser?

Much like the road trip in the series, Kerrigan’s road through the Peacock program was full of twists and turns. “I went through the green light process and I was greenlit in May 2023,” she explains to Haider. “And then the WGA strike happened. I was one of four creators to get greenlit, and they were like, ‘The program is on pause. See you later.’”

Kerrigan was devastated at the time, but ultimately, she says, it was for the best. The strike allowed her to launch her popular Substack, The Plot, as well as SFKTV, a subscription-based video podcast. And the pause due to the strike also led to another major change—the content that Peacock wanted her to develop. 

“When I first started the program, they wanted me to do an unscripted show,” she says. “When I initially pitched the show, the whole show was just about me, Serena, about to turn 30.” But by the time Peacock was ready to re-launch the program in August 2024, she was already 31. And much to Kerrigan’s delight, they asked her to develop a scripted show. “Which was great, because that’s what I always wanted to do. That was way more interesting to me.”

From there, it was off to the races. She got the greenlight in August and shot the whole seven-episode series in seven days in December.

The creator-to-television pipeline

Kerrigan is a perfect example about how content creators are consistently crossing over from your phone screen to your TV screen. The three other creators in the program—Charlie Curtis-Beard, Katie Florence, and Daren Vongirdner—all got their start on social media as well. “I fell in love with the other creators,” Kerrigan says of her colleagues. “They’re all fantastic and they did such a great job.”

They aren’t the only ones. Even Kristin Cavallari, a The Hills alum who swore she was done with reality TV, is finding that social media and podcasting can lead to new TV projects. The Hills alum ended up turning her Honestly Cavallari tour into a four episode TV special for E!. (It’s called Honestly Cavallari: The Headline Tour and will begin airing on June 5, BTW). 

Kerrigan told Today that social content creation and TV writing have more overlap than you might think. “Social media is immediate. You’re writing, producing, and editing in real time, often by yourself. Making a show is the complete opposite,” Kerrigan told the outlet. “It takes time, intention, and a village. But the overlap is in the storytelling. Whether I’m crafting a 60-second reel or a seven-episode arc, I’m always thinking about how to connect through honesty, humor, and a strong point of view.”

Kerrigan’s best advice for creators

For aspiring creators hoping to follow in the footsteps of Curtis-Beard, Florence, Vongirdner, and Kerrigan, one piece of advice from Kerrigan stands out. When it comes to building your personal brand, she says, think of your online persona as a character.

“Think about if someone was dressing up as you for Halloween,” she says. “If someone made a ‘starter pack’ for you, what would be in that?” Doing this will help create a visual identity for your content—and that will make viewers remember you.

“I always looked at SK as a character. She talks a certain way. She always wears a power suit,” she explains. Kerrigan notes that she even established a color scheme for her character—red lipstick, black eyelashes, gold hair—that they could carry into branding her other products, like the logo on her card game. “Even the typography we used for the game—it’s black, bold letters, and then script that looks like it’s written in a red lipstick that you would, you know, use on a date.”

The other benefit of creating a “character,” she explains, is that it keeps you from being completely vulnerable on social media. “SK was created because I’m so sensitive that I needed to create a shield for myself,” she explains. “I have a dialogue with myself, like, ‘You’re Serena F-ing Kerrigan. Let’s f-ing go. You’re amazing.’ Like hyping myself up. In case of being rejected, it is armor.”

By creating a little distance between your softest, most vulnerable self and the most badass version that you present to the internet, you can give yourself space to take risks. After all, it’s only a character.

For more of Kerrigan’s insights on content creation, dating, and more, check out the full episode of Dream Bigger.