Fake TV Show: 'Outlands'
eta: I have gone to bed, silly work in the morning. sigh.
1. Comment to this post with "I surrender!" "please, may I have one?" or something like that and I'll assign you the basis of some tv show idea. (Science fiction show, medical drama, criminal procedure, etc...)
2. Create a cast of characters, including the actors who'd play them
3. Add in any actor photos, character bios and show synopsis that you want.
4. Post to your own journal.
havocthecat gave me the paranormal federal witness protection program? Which, unfortunately, spawned into more than that. What? I looove ensemble shows!
Welcome to Outlands, hope you don't mind the urban decay...
The problem is, that as much as I loooove In Plain Sight, it really is the Mary Shannon show. And as much as I love that as a concept, I really do like ensembles more? So, I sort of expanded a little. Let me see if I can get this all down right from my notes at work...
Outlands is set in the fading and dying downtown of an unnamed city in middle-America. The name comes from the fact that the federal government has been using it as a dumping ground for the supernatural witnesses that aren't supposed to exist, though most of them have been there since the program began, and some were there already.
Because of urban flight, the government believes no one will notice the slow upsurge of 'people' arriving/being dumped in Outlands. More than witnesses are left at the outskirts and make their way into town. Some come for perceived sanctuary, some arrive out of a sense of needing a community to belong to (Outlands has become a haven for werewolves, and several clans have taken up residence in the suburbs around the crumbling downtown). Some come for other reasons. Most of the police in the area have had at least one encounter with a supernatural being, but most won't admit it. Those that do get assigned to the preternatural task force that doesn't officially exist. Yet.
Elves and fairies have been arriving, flocking to the slowly-growing magical power-base that all the werewolves and other beings represent. Some of them feel that this near-human magic is their last hope to restore a crumbling civilization.
It is pertinent to note that the average man/woman/child doesn't believe in things that go bump in the night, though residents of Outlands are slowly coming to a new awareness of how the world Really Is.
Trouble is, the number of supernatural/unusual/abnormal witnesses has been growing. Used to be, there'd be one or two a year, now that number is more like one or three a month. And some of the resulting problems aren't exactly standard rules in the WitSec handbook. People talk and those iron-clad policies are slowly looking less and less useful.
Into this maelstrom is dumped Carla Brandon, fresh off her first case involving an elf and his addiction to meth.
Our Team (main cast):
Marshall Carla Brandon (Rekha Sharma)
When Carla joined the US Marshalls, she wasn't expecting to get seconded to witness protection. One attempt on her life and a magical encounter later, and she finds herself in the crappiest office the USM has ever managed: Witness Protection of non-humanoids. Her clients range from half-dwarves to full-blooded witches to vampires who are a smirk away from being staked.
Life might have been boring once, but it isn't now. And she's wondering if she should have gotten up on the other side of the bed that morning.
Marshall Betsy Mae McDonald (Katee Sackhoff)
Carla's partner in their under-staffed and over-booked office. Comes from a gigantic family, and frequently curses that fact as her mother knows more about her sex life than she'd prefer. Betsy is empathic and prone to trying out spells she thinks 'might help' a situation. Sometimes they do. Sometimes, Carla regrets letting her anywhere near the black candles.
Karen Sommers (Naomie Harris)
Carla's boss. No one knows what Karen did to get her ass landed in their tiny office, but it must have been pretty awful (though not awful enough to get banged out of the Marshalls). It's probably best not to ask, really. Karen has contacts everywhere and knows that you're thinking of eating the last doughnut before you've started reaching for it.
Billy Jameson (Paul Campbell)
Office boy. He only has the vaguest idea what's going on, but figures that's ok. May or may not have a crush on Carla's partner. shut up, his name is forever BILLY
The Local Fuzz:
Detective Sheri Taylor (Jaime Ray Newman)
A local cop, part of the under-paid supernatural crimes unit, Laura keeps finding Tory Carla at all the wrong places at the right times. She's no believer in coincidence, and word on the street has it there's more to this than meets the eye.
Detective Inspector Andrew Grant (David Harewood)
Sheri's partner, seconded from Scotland Yard's preternatural crimes division. He's recently had a scare that he might be a werewolf, but he's not letting it slow him down. If he can help it. He's arrived with background on the assassin, and a worry about whether his family might become a target.
(yes, I should maybe have more cops, but I've been busy doing other things)
Recurring characters:
Claudia Grant (Bianca Lawson)
Claudia is Andrew's wife, and contrary to what he believes, she was the one who's now a werewolf. She's keeping it a secret, for now, and being extra-careful as she takes care of their four-year-old daughter. Claudia is afraid if she tells him he'll see no choice but to take their daughter away, and she doesn't know if she can handle that. Robert Harper knows her secret, but finds her marriage and her love for her family charming and entertaining enough not to spill it.
Ilia deMayne (Nicki Clyne)
Ilia is a half-elf, one of Carla's clients who keeps popping up and getting in trouble. Or getting Carla in trouble. She doesn't quite play by the rules, and she's a lot older than she looks. Rumor has it that if her mother knew where she was, there'd be hell to pay.
Camilla Anderson (Beth Riesgraf)
Carla's cousin-by-marriage, who showed up out of the blue and decided that Carla's apartment was the perfect place to set down roots. Carla's never sure if she's coming or going, but she makes excellent coffee and muffins, and that's enough to keep Carla from kicking Camilla off her couch. For now.
Renee Schmidt (Kandyse McLure)
Camilla's seemingly ditzy best friend, in reality she's an undercover operative for some creepy government agency. She's also tracking the assassin, but more as an attempt to hire them for some useful clean-up work. Her best friend was stolen and replaced with a changeling by fairies, and she's never forgiven them for it. She's got a decent kill ratio for fairies, elves, and even a vampire or two. Always in self-defence.
Mai Fletcher (Naoko Mori)
Betsy's coven leader. Very down-to-earth. She prefers jeans and t-shirts to floaty skirts, but she still manages to look like she knows what she's doing when mixing blood, earth, air and fire to perform a ritual. Carla finds her a welcome relief after all the double-talk she's getting from the local wizards and vampires. That doesn't say that Mai doesn't imagine casting a spell on herself and running away to another dimension to lead a more exciting life, however.
Mai cast the most recent version of the original wards that keep those intent on killing Outlands' resident's from entering without a lot of effort. Lately, those wards have been fading, though she's not sure if it's due to the introduction of so many new people or something more sinister.
The not-so-good, maybe-neutral and/or bad guys:
Gina Fraser-Smith (Tamzin Outhwaite)
Recently-arrived master vampire, she has little use for the legends surrounding her people and is more at home in a boxing ring than in a stylish gown. She can play at being elegant if she needs to, but she'd rather be trying to find the assassin that's been tracking and killing paranormals for the last three years. Especially since the assassin seems to have an ear in the Marshall's office.
Gabriel Slade (James Thornton)
Gina's best friend, a werewolf and a gentleman. He's known her since before she was turned, but he doesn't let that stop him from plotting to kill her (if it's worth his while). Meanwhile, he's also worried about the assassin and what it could mean for his people, though he's begun hearing that the person can be bought.
Spencer Tracy (Michael T. Weiss)
Rumor has it, he might have once been the real deal, but fairy magic and a fondness for plastic surgery have altered him beyond recognition. He's the go-to guy for double-dealings and underworld information. If you can afford his prices. If you can't, he isn't above informing on you for the cash.
Bella Turner (Chloe Annett)
Spencer's assistant. She knows more than he does, but she'll never let on. Not until she's ready to destroy him and take over his place in the pecking order. She's a witch and efficient.
Alicia Carter (Michelle Yeoh)
Werewolf. Spencer's muscle. She's Bella's lover, and firmly of the opinion that Spencer's time is long overdue.
Peter Smith (Michael Trucco)
Wizard. Thief. Smart-ass. Also want's Spencer's piece of the pie, but keeps getting distracted by running into Betsy at the strangest of times. Went to school with Bella and might know more about her than he should. Is not related to Gina, so far as he knows.
Tania deMaurier (Famke Janssen) I've always wanted to name someone deMaurier
Queen of the Fairies. Not particularly interested in mortal affairs, but this assassin business is beginning to piss her off. Miiight have once destroyed the entire planet out of pique before bringing it back again at the request of her favorite mortal. Ilia's mother.
Daphne Wyngarde (Claudia Black)
Queen of the Unseleighe Court. Ambitious, with ties to several government agencies and may possibly know who the assassin is. Daphne always tends to come out on top, unless up against Tania. They've lost and won fairly evenly over the centuries. It's almost just a game to them now.
Cordelia Mace (Angela Bassett)
King vampire of the city (Yes, I said King-it's like being King of the pirates: no one cares what you are so long as you can take the damned job). No one pisses her off and enjoys telling the tale of it.
Robert Harper (Christopher Judge)
The head of the oldest werewolf pack in the area, older than God, and possibly related to tricksters in his past lives. Might be the person who hired the assassin (the sort of thing he'd do for laughs, if he was in the mood). He's gaining a new respect for law enforcement thanks to some encounters with Carla, her back-up, and Claudia Grant.
Er. There are probably some humans, too. Off the top of my head, I'd probably grab Alessandor Juliani, Michelle Ryan, Tricia Helfer, Grace Park, Tahmoh Penikett, Leah Cairns, Lara Gilchrist, Alisen Downs and Leela Savasta to play some of them. And James Callis might be needed as a local cult leader.
1. Comment to this post with "I surrender!" "please, may I have one?" or something like that and I'll assign you the basis of some tv show idea. (Science fiction show, medical drama, criminal procedure, etc...)
2. Create a cast of characters, including the actors who'd play them
3. Add in any actor photos, character bios and show synopsis that you want.
4. Post to your own journal.
havocthecat gave me the paranormal federal witness protection program? Which, unfortunately, spawned into more than that. What? I looove ensemble shows!
Welcome to Outlands, hope you don't mind the urban decay...
The problem is, that as much as I loooove In Plain Sight, it really is the Mary Shannon show. And as much as I love that as a concept, I really do like ensembles more? So, I sort of expanded a little. Let me see if I can get this all down right from my notes at work...
Outlands is set in the fading and dying downtown of an unnamed city in middle-America. The name comes from the fact that the federal government has been using it as a dumping ground for the supernatural witnesses that aren't supposed to exist, though most of them have been there since the program began, and some were there already.
Because of urban flight, the government believes no one will notice the slow upsurge of 'people' arriving/being dumped in Outlands. More than witnesses are left at the outskirts and make their way into town. Some come for perceived sanctuary, some arrive out of a sense of needing a community to belong to (Outlands has become a haven for werewolves, and several clans have taken up residence in the suburbs around the crumbling downtown). Some come for other reasons. Most of the police in the area have had at least one encounter with a supernatural being, but most won't admit it. Those that do get assigned to the preternatural task force that doesn't officially exist. Yet.
Elves and fairies have been arriving, flocking to the slowly-growing magical power-base that all the werewolves and other beings represent. Some of them feel that this near-human magic is their last hope to restore a crumbling civilization.
It is pertinent to note that the average man/woman/child doesn't believe in things that go bump in the night, though residents of Outlands are slowly coming to a new awareness of how the world Really Is.
Trouble is, the number of supernatural/unusual/abnormal witnesses has been growing. Used to be, there'd be one or two a year, now that number is more like one or three a month. And some of the resulting problems aren't exactly standard rules in the WitSec handbook. People talk and those iron-clad policies are slowly looking less and less useful.
Into this maelstrom is dumped Carla Brandon, fresh off her first case involving an elf and his addiction to meth.
Our Team (main cast):
Marshall Carla Brandon (Rekha Sharma)
When Carla joined the US Marshalls, she wasn't expecting to get seconded to witness protection. One attempt on her life and a magical encounter later, and she finds herself in the crappiest office the USM has ever managed: Witness Protection of non-humanoids. Her clients range from half-dwarves to full-blooded witches to vampires who are a smirk away from being staked.
Life might have been boring once, but it isn't now. And she's wondering if she should have gotten up on the other side of the bed that morning.
Marshall Betsy Mae McDonald (Katee Sackhoff)
Carla's partner in their under-staffed and over-booked office. Comes from a gigantic family, and frequently curses that fact as her mother knows more about her sex life than she'd prefer. Betsy is empathic and prone to trying out spells she thinks 'might help' a situation. Sometimes they do. Sometimes, Carla regrets letting her anywhere near the black candles.
Karen Sommers (Naomie Harris)
Carla's boss. No one knows what Karen did to get her ass landed in their tiny office, but it must have been pretty awful (though not awful enough to get banged out of the Marshalls). It's probably best not to ask, really. Karen has contacts everywhere and knows that you're thinking of eating the last doughnut before you've started reaching for it.
Billy Jameson (Paul Campbell)
Office boy. He only has the vaguest idea what's going on, but figures that's ok. May or may not have a crush on Carla's partner. shut up, his name is forever BILLY
The Local Fuzz:
Detective Sheri Taylor (Jaime Ray Newman)
A local cop, part of the under-paid supernatural crimes unit, Laura keeps finding Tory Carla at all the wrong places at the right times. She's no believer in coincidence, and word on the street has it there's more to this than meets the eye.
Detective Inspector Andrew Grant (David Harewood)
Sheri's partner, seconded from Scotland Yard's preternatural crimes division. He's recently had a scare that he might be a werewolf, but he's not letting it slow him down. If he can help it. He's arrived with background on the assassin, and a worry about whether his family might become a target.
(yes, I should maybe have more cops, but I've been busy doing other things)
Recurring characters:
Claudia Grant (Bianca Lawson)
Claudia is Andrew's wife, and contrary to what he believes, she was the one who's now a werewolf. She's keeping it a secret, for now, and being extra-careful as she takes care of their four-year-old daughter. Claudia is afraid if she tells him he'll see no choice but to take their daughter away, and she doesn't know if she can handle that. Robert Harper knows her secret, but finds her marriage and her love for her family charming and entertaining enough not to spill it.
Ilia deMayne (Nicki Clyne)
Ilia is a half-elf, one of Carla's clients who keeps popping up and getting in trouble. Or getting Carla in trouble. She doesn't quite play by the rules, and she's a lot older than she looks. Rumor has it that if her mother knew where she was, there'd be hell to pay.
Camilla Anderson (Beth Riesgraf)
Carla's cousin-by-marriage, who showed up out of the blue and decided that Carla's apartment was the perfect place to set down roots. Carla's never sure if she's coming or going, but she makes excellent coffee and muffins, and that's enough to keep Carla from kicking Camilla off her couch. For now.
Renee Schmidt (Kandyse McLure)
Camilla's seemingly ditzy best friend, in reality she's an undercover operative for some creepy government agency. She's also tracking the assassin, but more as an attempt to hire them for some useful clean-up work. Her best friend was stolen and replaced with a changeling by fairies, and she's never forgiven them for it. She's got a decent kill ratio for fairies, elves, and even a vampire or two. Always in self-defence.
Mai Fletcher (Naoko Mori)
Betsy's coven leader. Very down-to-earth. She prefers jeans and t-shirts to floaty skirts, but she still manages to look like she knows what she's doing when mixing blood, earth, air and fire to perform a ritual. Carla finds her a welcome relief after all the double-talk she's getting from the local wizards and vampires. That doesn't say that Mai doesn't imagine casting a spell on herself and running away to another dimension to lead a more exciting life, however.
Mai cast the most recent version of the original wards that keep those intent on killing Outlands' resident's from entering without a lot of effort. Lately, those wards have been fading, though she's not sure if it's due to the introduction of so many new people or something more sinister.
The not-so-good, maybe-neutral and/or bad guys:
Gina Fraser-Smith (Tamzin Outhwaite)
Recently-arrived master vampire, she has little use for the legends surrounding her people and is more at home in a boxing ring than in a stylish gown. She can play at being elegant if she needs to, but she'd rather be trying to find the assassin that's been tracking and killing paranormals for the last three years. Especially since the assassin seems to have an ear in the Marshall's office.
Gabriel Slade (James Thornton)
Gina's best friend, a werewolf and a gentleman. He's known her since before she was turned, but he doesn't let that stop him from plotting to kill her (if it's worth his while). Meanwhile, he's also worried about the assassin and what it could mean for his people, though he's begun hearing that the person can be bought.
Spencer Tracy (Michael T. Weiss)
Rumor has it, he might have once been the real deal, but fairy magic and a fondness for plastic surgery have altered him beyond recognition. He's the go-to guy for double-dealings and underworld information. If you can afford his prices. If you can't, he isn't above informing on you for the cash.
Bella Turner (Chloe Annett)
Spencer's assistant. She knows more than he does, but she'll never let on. Not until she's ready to destroy him and take over his place in the pecking order. She's a witch and efficient.
Alicia Carter (Michelle Yeoh)
Werewolf. Spencer's muscle. She's Bella's lover, and firmly of the opinion that Spencer's time is long overdue.
Peter Smith (Michael Trucco)
Wizard. Thief. Smart-ass. Also want's Spencer's piece of the pie, but keeps getting distracted by running into Betsy at the strangest of times. Went to school with Bella and might know more about her than he should. Is not related to Gina, so far as he knows.
Tania deMaurier (Famke Janssen) I've always wanted to name someone deMaurier
Queen of the Fairies. Not particularly interested in mortal affairs, but this assassin business is beginning to piss her off. Miiight have once destroyed the entire planet out of pique before bringing it back again at the request of her favorite mortal. Ilia's mother.
Daphne Wyngarde (Claudia Black)
Queen of the Unseleighe Court. Ambitious, with ties to several government agencies and may possibly know who the assassin is. Daphne always tends to come out on top, unless up against Tania. They've lost and won fairly evenly over the centuries. It's almost just a game to them now.
Cordelia Mace (Angela Bassett)
King vampire of the city (Yes, I said King-it's like being King of the pirates: no one cares what you are so long as you can take the damned job). No one pisses her off and enjoys telling the tale of it.
Robert Harper (Christopher Judge)
The head of the oldest werewolf pack in the area, older than God, and possibly related to tricksters in his past lives. Might be the person who hired the assassin (the sort of thing he'd do for laughs, if he was in the mood). He's gaining a new respect for law enforcement thanks to some encounters with Carla, her back-up, and Claudia Grant.
Er. There are probably some humans, too. Off the top of my head, I'd probably grab Alessandor Juliani, Michelle Ryan, Tricia Helfer, Grace Park, Tahmoh Penikett, Leah Cairns, Lara Gilchrist, Alisen Downs and Leela Savasta to play some of them. And James Callis might be needed as a local cult leader.