Original Show: True Blood
Spin-off Idea/ Description: After selling his bar, long-time Bon Temps resident and shapeshifter, Sam Merlotte (Sam Trammell) decides it's about time he got away from all the crazy supernatural beings, and went and travelled America. He buys an RV and starts travelling, but soon realises that it's not so easy getting supernatural beings out of your life when you are one. Having experience in such matters, as Sam travels from town to town he starts helping people with their supernatural troubles, whether it a young boy coming out as a shifter, or scaring off a persistent vampire, Sam quickly learns the people of America need his help, and he's happy to provide a helping hand (or paw).
Possible Title Ideas: Shifty Business, Shifter, Drift & Shift, New Moon Rising, Howling for You.
Idea originted from: Sam's season five storyline in True Blood. Two of Sam's shifter friends are found murdered, and wooden bullets with a silver interior are found at the scene, implying their killers are hunting down supernatural beings. Later Sam and his girlfriend Luna, who is also a shifter, are shot, but survive the incedent. Sam convinces Sherriff Andy Bellefeur to let him help him in the invetigation because of his heightened senses, and during the investigation his abilities save Andy's life, and he smells out clues that help him indentify the masked killers.
Format: Monster/ Case/ Lesson of the week.
The show would be similar to: True Blood, Supernaural, Grimm and Scooby-Doo.
How could it be written out of it's parent show?: Sam would have to have a legitimate reason for selling his bar and wanting to leave Bon Temps. At this stage of the series, halfway through the fifth season, if his girlfriend Luna is killed by the supernatural beings hategroup, and he realises that Andy and Jason are hesitant to prosucute the men because of they shared dislike of supes, he may leave town, having become aware that he will never be truly accepted for who he is.
Will it feature any stars from it's parents show?: Sam Merlotte of course. I also suggest he take another minor True Blood character with him so that's it's parent show can focus more on its main characters rather than continously developing boring sideline plots. Hoyt, Terry and Alcide would all work well in my opinion, but I'd choose Hoyt Fortenberry (Jim Parrack). He'd be Sam's slack-jawed but lovable side-kick that Sam constantly has to get out of trouble. Plus, Hoyt could have his own story of redemption. After the events of True Blood's fifth season and his involvement in the supernatural beings hategroup, he can't face what he tried to do to his friends, and leaves with Sam to help him help other supes in need in attempt to right his wrongs.
How about any guest stars?: I could see that happening, but not often. A show like this would need to stand on it's own two feet, mostly seperate from True Blood.
Possible plot ideas: Other than helping everyday people with their supernatural (vampire, werewolf, were-panther, maenad, witch, ghost, or otherwise), problems, and Hoyt's redemption, I could see Sam running into people from his past, like some he met at Maryann's or after he was abandoned as a teenager. His adoptive parents could show up and some point, too.
Target Audience: This would target True Blood's audience, obviously, but be slightly more skewed to the young male demographic.
Could it work as a show?: I think it could. It's monster/ case/ lesson of the week format has proven time and time again to be popular with viewers. Plus, like many other procedurals, it has the oppurunity to have famous guests stars on every week to get viewers watching. I can see it now: Sam and Hoyt must help a woman (special guest star Kathy Bates) with her supernatural alligator problem.
Could it ever actually happen?: No. True Blood is based off a series of novels by Charlene Harris, and Sam Merlotte is a fairly important character in those novels. True Blood would have to finish, and the Charlene Harris would have to give the go ahead for Sam to have his own spin-off, which will never happen.
No comments:
Post a Comment