New plots for TV shows

[Bayard]

I'm sick to death of old shows getting re-made, especially when they weren't that good the first time around. And reality shows. Really hate those. My new favorite is "Designated Survivor". Totally hooked.

What's your idea for new plots/premises? How about a famous portrait artist that gets involved in his subject's lives? Or a gardener whose plants come alive and talk to him? Oh oh! Even better, the earthworms in his garden come alive and eat him. Or......

[Kablooie]

1. Here's a wonderful new idea:

A guy inherits an old vintage car and discovers that his dead mother's soul inhabits the radio.
A whacky comedy to be sure!

[ashling]

33. Sounds like aaa hit

Don't know why nobody ever thought of it before.

[Chasstev365]

2. Extreme Classroom Makeover

Go into the crumbling, inter-city schools to expose the conditions and then build nice, new classrooms.

[CurtEastPoint]

5. Starring Betsy DeVille.

[Chasstev365]

8. LOL!

[OrwellwasRight]

3. A show about workers trying to organize a labor union

Last edited Sat May 27, 2017, 07:00 PM - Edit history (1)

that exposes the danger, the intrigue, the lengths that employers will go too -- usually spending far more on union avoidance consultants than they would spend giving workers raises.

Characters could include bad bosses, spies playing both sides, family members of illegally fired union supporters, clueless onlookers, greedy consultants, backbiting co-workers, all the people you find in and around a workplace. Plus it would have the added bonus of educating Americans about how unions are not just naturally shrinking, but it is part of the Republican strategy.

[Laffy Kat]

10. Now THIS is a great idea! nt

[OrwellwasRight]

12. Thank you!

[irisblue]

14. Brilliant! nt

[OrwellwasRight]

15. OK so who on this board is a producer?

I'm available to join the writing team! LOL!

[LeftInTX]

17. Thread winner!!

I've seen some older movies about unions and they're pretty good. Grapes of Wrath comes to mind, but there are also some great low budget ones.

[OrwellwasRight]

19. Thx!

[ashling]

34. Grapes of Wrath

greatest movie ever!

[NJCher]

21. oh yes

I will be a consultant for this show. I am on the executive board of my union and as such, am in the midst of negotiations on a new contract. Let's have an episode or two about academics going up against greedy administrators who make--even at community colleges!--half a million bucks a year.

We have an academic vice president who walked into a meeting and announced she was wearing a $700 pair of shoes. That would be one month's salary for an adjunct teaching a single course.

This same AVP sits in meetings playing Candy Crush on her iPad. Swear to Dog. Oh, and she has an online Ph.D. in education.


Cher

[TeamPooka]

24. basically I'd pitch that as Norma Rae the series. That's a good idea.

[Binkie The Clown]

26. Be sure to show the seedy side of unions too.

When I was a little kid, around 1950 or so, and my dad was newly promoted to management, striking union thugs threatened and intimidated my poor mom. She was terrified, and I don't blame her; young country girl, new in town with a young kid to raise, strong-armed by guys that looked like central casting versions of Mafia hoods. So whatever the premise of the show, don't whitewash it and idealize one side and demonize the other. There was plenty of scum on both sides.

[OrwellwasRight]

28. I don't think it should be whitewashed, but nor do I think we need to use the phrase "union thugs."

There is no excuse for what happened to your mother, and it is indefensible. I'm sorry your family had to live through it. If this idea were ever made into a real TV show, I am sure you would see lots of characters who were operating in grey areas, with few characters or groups being portrayed as perfectly good or perfectly bad.

However, I feel compelled to say that I believe the use of the phrase "union thug" to be prejudicial and demonstrating a lack of respect toward union members (and the history of the word "thug" isn't really all that great either). Unions are no more and no less perfect than any other institution or any other group of people. There are good and bad bosses, good and bad public servants, good and bad lawyers, good and bad wait staff, good and bad Catholic priests, good and bad police officers, good and bad whatever.

The fact is that threats and violence toward union members is far more common that threats and violence by union members:

http://www.illinoislaborhistory.org/the-haymarket-affair/
https://zinnedproject.org/materials/ludlow-massacre/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_union_busting_in_the_United_States
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/1998/09/more-perfect-union-buster

If I had proposed a show about a racial or religious minority, I am positive you would not have said, please show that not all ______ are good people, because this one time a _______ person threatened and intimidated my mom. So to me, it is not OK to say it about union members. I think it is a given that there are people in all groups that behave odiously, and I don't see a need to point out that some union peeps are bad. Just my opinion, which you are under no obligation to agree with.

This being the Lounge, I will say no further on the subject. I generally come here to retreat from the animosity of the other fora.

[Binkie The Clown]

30. Message received and understood.

You're right. Such discussions do not belong in the lounge.

[CurtEastPoint]

4. Young career woman with spunk lands dream job and charming apartment. She's gonna make it...

after all...

oh... what? Oh, OK... never mind.

[shenmue]

6. Parakeets take over the Earth

[procon]

7. Between the brainless reality shows and the blood and gore horror genre,

there's not much to choose from. I like Designated Survivor too, and the sinister and quirky Orphan Black, and there is an offbeat Sci-fi comedy, People of Earth about a support group for kooks who claim they were abducted by aliens, that is actually run by the aliens.

[dixiegrrrrl]

11. Thank you for the reminder of People of Earth

Mr. Dixie loved the first episode, then we lost track of it.

[ashling]

35. Designate Survivor fan here

also Madame Secretary

[First Speaker]

9. A refreshing comedy about the Illuminati...

...and their total control over the world's financial, media, and political systems. We could see them giving their orders to pols of both parties; see the Marx Brothers antics of a few independent "journalists" trying desperately to "expose" the puppet masters, and the amusement of said puppet masters as every single "clue" the journalists get is given to them by the Illuminati, partly to confuse them, but mostly for their--the Illuminati's--own amusement; see the rulers of the world laugh like hyenas every time they see some Talking Head on TV ranting about those wicked "conspiracy theorists"; see guest appearances by such notables as Lee Harvey Oswald, Elvis, Michael Jackson, Princess Di, and even Generalissimo Francisco Franco. (Even though he's still dead.) An amusing little combination of Robert Anton Wilson, Hunter Thompson, Robert Ludlum, with maybe a little Steven Spielberg uplift for some seasoning...

[wyldwolf]

13. I would like to see an epic mini-series based on FDR's new deal and WWII

[OrwellwasRight]

16. That would be great!

[jmowreader]

18. Unfortunately, every premise that would work as a TV show has been done

In that case, how about a mixup of "Route 66" and "Nickel and Dimed"?

[Wolf Frankula]

20. Internal Affairs

Cops who step outside the law to put the cops who step outside the law behind bars.

Doctor Trump. A show about an incompetent M.D.

Wolf

[NJCher]

22. a household run by cats

Jane and Barton are two upper income professionals with thriving careers. To the outside world, their lives are the picture of the American dream. Behind closed doors, however, their lives are run by three cats who dictate their every move: midnight runs to Whole Foods for a favored flavor of cat food and the humans sleeping on the edge of the bed while the cats occupy the middle of a Hollywood king.

The couples' careers are no respite, as their every move is dictated by the cats via cell phone apps connected to in-home cameras.

Neighbors becomes curious when the lawn is replaced with a landscape of catmint and cat nip, which is kept suspiciously trim.

The series moves to its peak when Barton is promoted to a new position in another city and the couple finds their house, which is now encased in an outdoor catio, is unable to be sold.


Cher

[OrwellwasRight]

25. Do the cats talk out loud?

Do they talk to each other? Is it more realistic?

[NJCher]

29. telepathy

through their eyes, however, in the production, there should be a special voice which interprets the telepathic communications. I like the voice in Mike Kister's Sad Cat Diary, however, it would have to be something totally original.


Cher

[OrwellwasRight]

31. Perfect.

Could Henri be one of the cats?

[NJCher]

37. I laughed so hard at that

through the entire clip.

I think Henri has a book out. My library had it. But the voice is everything!


Cher

[Bayard]

23. Some excellent ideas!

Hollywood, are you listening?

[FM123]

27. How about The Presidential Spelling Bee?

Imagine that orange idiot trying to compete with President Obama - even W would wipe the floor with him. Bigly.

[littlemissmartypants]

32. A game show.

Like the dating game but instead of a date you identify the pain in the ass in your life. That ass gets a make over and the player, a vacation.

?

[mainstreetonce]

36. The President's barber

Secrets hidden in the implants in his scalp.

[Initech]

38. A dim witted reality show host with a catch phrase and a bad haircut decides to run for president.

And then he wins for some unknown and very shady reasons. And he's about to find out that being the president is much harder than it seems! Not only that, he's stacked his staff with the dumbest and most incompetent people in the entire world to run the free world! And his supporters are stark raving mad white supremacist lunatics.