Blogocentric Formulations

My TV Shows

"Blog Harbor from The Talent Pond"  PROMPT (DAY 7): Good thing this is my last day. You folks would kill me. I'm terrible at this! I totally forgot to post the last prompt and the day is almost over! UGH! Let's go with ... *drumroll* Here it is: YOU are creating your own series and your show is guaranteed to air at least one season. Congratulations! Tell me about your show, who is in it? What's it about? What's the plot? I can't wait to hear.


As it happens, I have created my own television shows! I've written a couple pilots over the years as part of my screenwriting efforts. Nothing's been made yet, of course, but here are the shows I've developed:

Fearless. A show about a man who was born with CIP (congenital insensitivity to pain), which causes him to not feel any physical pain. That leads to a secondary injury to his amygdala which has a degenerative effect on his ability to feel emotions. Ultimately, it's about a man desperately trying to stay connected to his humanity while he's losing his connections to the world.

Gray Matters. A supernatural procedural about a branch of the U.S. Marshals Service tasked with tracking down and capturing fugitive mythological creatures.

47. After leaving office, a former President of the United States has to adjust to life outside the White House. The man that used to hold the weight of the world in his hands, who used to have calls with foreign leaders and agency directors on a daily basis now has to figure out what to do with his time and energy after achieving the pinnacle of his professional aspirations.

I've intentionally not thought about casting; when I write shows, I try not to get too attached to fantasy casting scenarios because, if it ever gets any traction or someone realistically wants to develop it, I don't want to get too married to a preconceived notion of who it needs to be. For example, I've always imagined the lead (the ex-President) of my "47" pilot being an older white guy because that's the typical image we have when it comes to past Presidents.

So I could easily see Tim Robbins, or Dennis Quaid, or Tom Hanks, or Steve Martin playing the role. But the chances of any of those guys actually being available or willing to play the role are minimal, and you never know what might happen in the development process. Maybe they want a female ex-President and would rather have a Mary Steenburgen or Rene Russo or Kim Basinger. Maybe they want a closer-to-middle-age guy who will highlight the "what do I do now that I've accomplished my goals and I have my whole life ahead of me" angle, so they opt for Jon Hamm or Michael C. Hall or Nathan Fillion.

Maybe I'll turn this prompt around on you, Tornado Dodger ... who do you see starring in any of these shows?

I'll bet it's Bruce Willis.

It's Bruce Willis, isn't it?

It totally is.