What is a fake in a world where nothing is real?
LOGLINE
FBI Special Agent Melanie Braga, a married mother of one is the lone female agent on a mission investigating corruption at largest import hub in the US: the port of Long Beach. In the process, she uncovers the criminal ecosystem of counterfeiting, finding a vast international network whose proceeds finance terrorist organizations.
As the investigation takes her to counterfeiting ground zero – the triple frontier, between Argentina, Paraguai and Brazil – Melanie is confronted with her own issues of identity when she falls in love with a colleague – another woman on the force.
SYNOPSIS
Knockoff is a character-driven procedural about a team of FBI agents who work to combat the corruption enabling the flow of high-value counterfeit goods – medications, automotive parts, military equipment, etc. – entering the country at its largest import hub: the Long Beach harbor.
Special Agent Melanie Braga – a career agent, and a star in the force – has to balance her family life with the demands of the job. As the investigation unfolds, she finds a vast financial network, funneling its proceeds to terrorist organizations.
At home, Melanie juggles raising her 9-year old son, dealing with the fallout of her marriage after falling for a colleague, and figuring out how to live an authentic life as a lesbian.
Knockoff will explore the underbelly of international trade, involving illegal immigration, human trafficking, union mafias and the financial structure that articulates them at the highest levels.
Taking place initially in Southern California, Knockoff will follow the interconnected world of global trade – hopping to Hong Kong and landing at the triple frontier in Brazil.
CHARACTERS
Melanie Braga, 37, a field agent recruited by the FBI right after college, has always been in the minority as a female, and frequently approached by colleagues with extra-professional interests.
As the series’ start, she’s married with a nine-year old son, and has an impeccable record. But when she accidentally kills a colleague on an operation gone awry, Melanie is sent to the FBI Psychiatrist to unpack what happened.
Xian Lee, 46, is a ruthless, take-no-prisoners Chinese businesswoman at the helm of a large export conglomerate in Hong Kong.
Amid the high volume of legitimate goods directed to the U.S., Lee Global sends in about a fifth of the shipped volume in counterfeit knockoffs. As part of China’s multi-millionaire class, she lives beyond morality, insulated from the law.
But behind her steel façade, Lee hides a secret: a son, whom she keeps strictly away from view. Once a happy housewife, she was abandoned by her husband after their baby developed a severe disability after ingesting tainted milk.
Tom Moss, 56, is the FBI’s Assistant Director handling public corruption cases. Despite of his age, Tom has an old man’s demeanor, seemingly burned out. Recently separated, he has a drug-addicted teenage daughter, whose affliction he’s not sure is consequence or cause of his family’s disintegration. He harbors a platonic affection for Melanie, his old subordinate.
Alex Salem, 48, a Lebanese citizen naturalized Brazilian, was part of a privileged Palestinian elite who fled the massacres of the 1982 war. Head of a business empire with multiple international companies, he launders the counterfeit proceeds and funnels the revenue to Middle East terrorist organizations through financial institutions in Latin America and Europe.
Yele Okoro, 39, an illegal immigrant from Nigeria, tries to get by in Los Angeles without papers or contacts by selling counterfeit goods downtown. Deeply involved in the piracy trade, he is both perpetrator and victim of its consequences.
SETTING
Taking place primarily in Los Angeles, the show will follow the interconnectedness of global trade, with secondary locations at the major trade and transit centers of Hong Kong and the triple frontier in Brazil.
PILOT LOGLINE
After a botched operation to confiscate illegal shipments, the FBI forms a new division to track counterfeiting crimes. Career agent Melanie Braga, a wife and mom in her mid-30’s, is appointed to head it in the field. But as she and her team investigate a criminal network extending beyond the United States, she finds herself drawn to confront her own secrets.
FORMAT & GENRE
TV Drama, 52min.
© 2018 S. GROSSMANN
