LOGLINE
A previously successful TV writer hits bottom when his house is foreclosed and has to move into an office building – mostly occupied by psychotherapists. He has one last opportunity to pitch to a network before his agent drops him – but no ideas. When a new patient takes him for a therapist and tells the juicy soap opera story that is her life, D.R. decides to pitch her story. And when it sells, he finds he has to hold the therapist charade… to keep the episodes coming.
SYNOPSIS
D.R. Klein, 39, a previously successful TV writer – on a dry spell for the last seven years –finally hits bottom when his house is foreclosed and he has to move into his office. Purchased at the peak of his career, the office had been unavailable for the last seven years due to the building developer’s bankruptcy and the lawsuit that followed.
When Hammurabi Towers (now reduced to just one tower) is finally inhabitable, its angry tenants discover the building isn’t exactly up to code – with missing light switches and gaps between offices that allow sound to carry through.
Mainly occupied by Doctors, D.R.’s office shares a wall with the notorious therapist and author Dr. Robin Klein, a.k.a. ‘The Divorce Whisperer’. An advocate of quitting – early and often – Dr. Klein is credited with some of the most notorious breakups of our time. Secretly however, as a 39 year-old three-time divorcée, there’s nothing Robin wants more than to find her match.
After Dr. Klein fires one of her patients, Serenity Campbell – a Real Housewife of Calabasas, D.R. gets mistaken for yet another therapist on the floor as Serenity barges in, unspooling her drama of stolen embryos and a runaway womb-for-rent. Enthralled by the tale and prevented from speaking by his debilitating stutter, D.R. can do nothing but listen. And soon enough his “practice” is booked solid.
Given one last opportunity to redeem his career when his soon-to-be-gone agent sets up a farewell-pity pitch with a network, D.R. is plagued by a severe case of writer’s block. With no ideas and few alternatives, D.R. pitches Serenity’s story. And when it is sold, he must hold the therapist charade to keep the episodes coming.
CHARACTERS
D.R. KLEIN, an awkward, stuttering but previously successful TV writer, is pushing 40 and on a dry spell since his multiple Emmy-winner, RocketCheers (a sitcom in space) had its final season, seven years ago.
DR. ROBIN KLEIN, 39, Psychologist and Psychiatrist, Robin came to national prominence when her last book, ‘The Divorce Whisperer’ hit the best-seller list. An advocate of quitting – early and often, Robin has been credited with the divorce of Oprah and Gayle, as well as preventing Prince Andrew and Fergie’s reconciliation. A misanthrope at heart, Robin pretends to have an assistant, Ruth, whom she impersonates to interface with the world.
SABRINA BABELDJI, a 20-something Beverly-Hills-Chihuahua Persian-American Princess, Sabrina inherits the Hammurabi Towers (now reduced to just one tower) after her father, Nazan Babeldji, is convicted for embezzlement and died in Federal Prison. Completely unprepared for – well, anything – Sabrina finds herself having to deal with the building’s angry tenants as the Towers’ legally-designated manager.
DASHANN JACKSON, 29 – A charismatic entrepreneur who’s drunk the cool-aid, Dashann believes in… whatever he can sell. Having read all the classics of self-help entrepreneurial literature, he never misses an opportunity to spin one of its clichés.
FORMAT
TV Pilot
Single camera scripted comedy, 26 min.
© 2014 S. GROSSMANN
