‘Mother, May I Have A Kidney?’ TV series premieres at Tribeca filmfest June 8th

The Tribeca Film Festival has announced its festival lineup would feature the new comedy/drama series, “Mother, May I Have A Kidney?”created and written by Filipina actress Veronica Reyes-How.

The series stars Doug Plaut, Tina Benko (“The Rehearsal,”for which she won anEmmy for Best Supporting Actress in a Digital Series), Darius de Haas, Charlotte Ray Rosenberg, Troy Iwata, and features Myra Lucretia Taylor, Lydia Gaston, and Drew McVety. Casting is by Rachel Goldman.

A young man’s kidney is failing. Unfortunately, his best match for a transplant is his long and deeply estranged mother. Through the first season, we follow him on a journey as he tries to reconnect and rebuild relationships with his family. He humorously muddles through, bolstered by the support of his NYC friends and mentor, in search of the healing he desperately needs.

“Mother, May I Have A Kidney?” is a powerful reminder of the importance of family and the transformative power of forgiveness.

“I’ve known Doug and Veronica for a while and was eager for the chance to work on ‘Mother, May I Have A Kidney?’with them. I was attracted to what I see as the fundamental crux of the script: a family that has lost touch, not out of animosity, but simply by not talking to one another about the vulnerabilities that are at the heart of any relationship, out of fear that they would come up short in the eyes of the others. ‘Mother, May I Have A Kidney?’examines the funny and touching way that missed connections with those we love can lead to missed opportunities and that it’s never too late to reconcile,” said casting director, Paul Schnee, who makes his directorial debut.

“The entire cast is incredible, but it was so thrilling to create these strong, independent N.Y. women and our actresses really blew me away with their portrayals of them. From Tina Benko to Charlotte Ray Rosenberg to Myra Lucretia Taylor to Filipino actor Lydia Gaston, we were fortunate to have powerhouse women to drive this narrative. I often write stories about fractured families working towards reconciliation, and I believe audiences will enjoy the difficult and hilarious paths these characters take to achieve it,” said Reyes-How.

Veronica is a first-generation Filipino American who started her career on the other side of the camera. Born and raised in Detroit, she graduated from the University of Michigan with a Math degree and moved to Chicago to work in tech consulting. An open call audition launched her acting career with the national tour of “Rent.”  She was then chosen for the ABC/Disney Talent Showcase and booked roles on “Blue Bloods” with Tom Selleck, and other television drama series. She was also spotlighted in HBO’s “East of Main Street” documentary with Lucy Liu and Daniel Dae Kim.

Behind the scenes is where she found her voice.

Veronica’s scripts have placed in eight national writing competitions, and after being a Sesame Street Writing Fellow, she was hired as EP/head writer to create and develop Math-forward shows.

That same year, she was hired to create/write and executive-produce “Mother, May I Have a Kidney?” her first original TV series. When she’s not working, Veronica enjoys playing tennis, chess and poker, leading worship, and taking philosophy/ theology courses. She is a five-time NYC marathon runner.