LOGLINE: An emotionally-stunted loner is forced to interact with the world by his hard-charging goldfish.
The attached script is a proof of concept short for a larger project: a live action, slightly-dark, sometimes-absurdist sitcom.
Bad Fish is a passion project for me -- one that I've been working off and on (more off than on) for five years to perfect. I'm looking for a like-minded producer/director to join me in readying/shooting the project for pitch to potential partners. The goal is to create a unique, slightly absurd world for Stanley and his goldfish (Albert) to explore together. I've mapped out five seasons, taking them from the moment of adoption to the final, poignant flush of the toilet. (Yes, you need to be the type of person who can get their head around a series whose end goal is to make people cry at a toilet flush.) If you're uncomfortable with such deep subjects as the destructive effects of Fingivitis, then this isn't for you. However, if the idea of plunging the depths of goldfish emotions for impactful storylines gets your motor running... by all means, let's talk!
Full pilot script and five-season show bible available on request.
Bad Fish centers on a world with specific rules (from the show bible):
Okay, so one of our main characters isn’t human. So what? In fact, if you didn’t know better, you’d think he WAS human. Even though the audience can’t hear him, everyone else can. For all intents and purposes, he can talk.
Sure, he lives in a glass container. Doesn’t mean he can’t go bowling. Or work at the local donut shop. He’s a fish, but he’s a capable fish. So, in our world, we treat Albert as we would any other flawed human character. He drinks a little too much beer. Drives a little too fast. Curses just a little too much. Basically, if a human can do it, Albert can, too. Even if he shouldn’t.
That said, being a goldfish does have its advantages. While Albert’s size doesn’t hinder him, it CAN be used to his benefit. Stanley can’t swim in a fresh pot of coffee, but Albert certainly can. How he gets from the bowl to the pot will, however, remain one of life’s great mysteries. We’re certainly not going to tell.
The final rule: When Albert is in the bowl, the bowl is Albert. It becomes his body. If you want to kiss Albert, you kiss the bowl. (Anything else would be weird, right?) If Albert attends a black-tie affair, it’s the bowl that gets the tie. When the doctor checks his vitals, he’s checking the bowl.
Category: Sitcom. Dark, absurdist comedy. Live action. 13 Pages.
Cast: 1 Male, early 30s, 1 Goldfish, mid 1s, 1 Male, 60s, 1 Young Girl
Production Cost: Moderately low. Several locations, small cast, a few effects and some fish food.
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