Random question--searching for a particular type of movie

[izhilzha]

Okay, this may sound a little odd. I'm trying to research a specific type of plot or premise, to see if it's been done before and how often, before I decide whether said premise is worth trying to work with myself.

Basically, what I want to know is:

Have there been films or made-for-television movies (or lengthy arcs on serialized TV shows) that

Comments

[izhilzha]

To comment on my own post, I believe there was a plot arc like this on Friends, but I didn't watch that show, so maybe someone could confirm. And Deep Space Nine, but I wasn't really counting that since Kira and Keiko weren't close friends and the surrogacy was forced by emergency circumstances.

[vertigozooropa]

On Friends, Phoebe carried surrogate triplets for her brother and his girlfriend, a much older woman who used to teach him in school.

A quick keyword search on IMDb also suggested that surrogate parenthood was suggested in the fifth season of Six Feet Under. I don't know where it went, though.

I can answer your question succinctly: Having searched the IMDb for references to surrogate anything, I found only 83 hits in all of TV and Film. Granted, Friends did not appear on the list, so it may be far from exhaustive, and may indeed be worthless.

But here's the succinct answer: It's only been done once in prominent memory, and was, in that instance, done for laughs and novelty. It is worth doing. Any storyline done well is worth doing, but this is a rare plotline that a good writer could make exemplary. If you are concerned that you may be treading on another writer's territory, don't be. It's almost never been done, and even if it had been, screw that. Look at the best TV series being made right now

[izhilzha]

Oh, I fully agree about the only originality being in the way you tell the story. And your search suggests that my first instinct was correct: this hasn't been explored much, so there's a lot of room for me to play. Mostly, this bout of research is just to establish whether there's been anything really obvious or well-known that's been done with it, so I can get more creative with the idea.

I'll look into the mention of Six Feet Under (one of my roommates adores that show).

Yeah...probably I'd want to make this a drama/dramedy film. Friendship, family, romantic possibilities (or lack thereof)...there's a lot to play with, and I expect to spend some time narrowing it down before I get anywhere with it. The idea kind of has a grip on me now. :-)

[vertigozooropa]

It sounds a bit like Big Love, only less pervy. :-)

[amberdulen]

I don't think it's been around enough to have developed any cliches, if that's what you're wondering.

[izhilzha]

Heh. That was certainly part of what I was wondering. :-)

[rose_in_shadow]

This is probably very unhelpful, but my roommate was watching a show once that seemed to be dealing with this. I wasn't really watching at the time (I think I was online, on my laptop) and I don't follow the show myself so I don't know the characters. I think it was the show "Dirty Sexy Money" and there was this couple who was having so many problems conceiving that the wife told the hubby to sleep with this woman who had agreed to be a surrogate mother. But from the little I remember, the show was mostly concerned with the sexy surrogate and would the hubby really betray his wife like that (OMG!!111).

um. yeah, so that was the least helpful post that I've ever written.

[izhilzha]

Hee! Well, I figure the more of these sorts of comments I get, the more I know that there really hasn't been much done with this concept, and that the field is wide open for me to play with it. :-)