(Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)

BY LAUREN ZIMA

The trailer for a new web series from actor James Franco is causing controversy at the University of Southern California. Franco’s brother helped with the show and has called it “part documentary, part reality, part scripted” -- but no matter what it is, USC isn’t happy.

KTTV reports school officials are upset because the show only follows five students -- they say it doesn’t represent the whole student body. The show -- called Undergrads -- depicts students drinking, partying, and hooking up with each other.

“Things you could probably find on any college campus, but … A lot of students are upset because James Franco went to USC’s rival, UCLA at one point -- and they feel like he didn’t choose UCLA to make this series.”

A blogger for LA Weekly seems to agree, noting that Franco attended Columbia and NYU, and wondering why he couldn’t have set the show at one of those universities.

“...are all the airheads only in L.A? Targeting the shallowness of USC undergrads fresh out of their moms’ Mercedes SUVs is too easy. ... James Franco’s a self-absorbed tool.”

The Los Angeles Times says the show comes at a time when USC has been working to build up its reputation and …

“...by many measures, the school has undergone a notable shift, with an investment to attract stronger faculty, more research dollars and an increasingly diverse student body...”

The Vice President of Student Affairs said in a statement on the show:

“More accurately representative of USC are the students who provide hundreds of hours in community service, who rank among the country’s most academically and artistically gifted, and who value diversity in cultures, nationalities and socio-economic backgrounds among their peers.”

But KNBC quotes Franco’s producing partner, who says they didn’t expect the trailer to “have this type of backlash.”

“It’s not a reality show and it’s not just about USC. … We felt that as entertainers that [the trailer] might hook in audiences better than footage of someone studying, which we have a lot of … We never mention the name of the college because we didn’t want a backlash like the one we got [from USC].”

The trailer for ‘Undergrads’ has been removed from Franco’s website. It’s set to debut February 2nd.