That’s the working title. For now. It tells the viewers what they need to know about our main character AND, most importantly, enlightens them to the fact that they’re watching an actual television series as opposed to, say, a very short film or very long commercial. Somewhere down the line, we’re going to have to come up with a proper title – something catchy but clever. For instance, if we were doing a show about a couple of marijuana-smoking ghosts, we could call it High Spirits. Alternately, we could be as brilliantly asinine and work a character’s ridiculous name into the title (ie. Poetic Justice. Hey, she’s a poet! AND her name happens to be Justice!). Something along the lines of: John Pomp is a veteran no-nonsense cop who ends up being partnered with young, loose cannon Derek Circumstanza. Together, they are Pomp and Circumstanza! Or Sheltered Hugh Murray gets more than he bargained for when he moves in with outgoing party boy, Billy Cry. Together, they are Hugh and Cry! And so on. My advice is to come up with the title first and then work backward.
But before we do, let’s nail down the series overview. Thank you for taking the time to post your thoughts. As we all know, the job of a writer is to incorporate as many crappy suggestions as the script can sustain while still maintaining some semblance of artistic integrity. As such, only the very worst ideas will not find their way into the mix. These can be safely ignored, partly because they make absolutely no sense, but mostly because they were composed in a drunken stupor and unlikely to be remembered by whoever wrote them.
So this is what we’ve got so far…
Our protagonist goes by the name of Hunter. We don’t know if it’s his first or last name, but we DO know it’s apropos because the devilishly handsome, long-locked albino former model happens to be a wealthy freelance physician who uses his medical knowledge to solve crimes. Like those guys who work for the various CSI units, he is heartily welcomed to participate in ongoing investigations despite the fact that he really has no business doing so. But his job doesn’t end when he catches the criminals because, in addition, he is also a District Attorney who prosecutes the guilty parties. Unfortunately, Justice is not always blind [Although in some cases it is as we’ll learn when we are introduced to his blind girlfriend, Justice, but we’ll get to her later] and some evildoers with the proper pull can beat the system. So what’s a guy to do?
Well, if he’s our hero a lot because, at night he unwittingly transforms into his alter ego: a shirtless, raven-haired vampire, who stalks the city in search of those who escaped justice. And wears his hair in a ponytail to ensure nobody recognizes him. Although his vampire self is aware of his human self, the reverse isn’t true, leading to innumerable ludicrous close calls.
Hunter is a quiet, introspective loaner – who also happens to be supported by a colorful cast of characters including…
His longtime sidekick by day is Lou, a grizzled veteran of the city’s overextended police department – who ends up getting killed in the pilot, only two days away from retirement and the promise of his golden years spent sailing the high seas with his loving wife June who, incidentally, also dies of a heart attack after receiving word of Lou’s sudden passing. His new partner will be a dark-haired female rookie with a chip on her shoulder.
His sidekick by night is his handsome former college roommate, an incorrigible womanizing, wise-cracking wizard zombie that maintains his good looks via the magic blood that keeps his body alive even though he is…undead. By day, he assumes the staid identity of a mysophobic local pawnbroker who provides leads in various investigations. Bromance abounds!
Mentor to his vampire self is a wise, diminutive and crotchety – yet lovable! – mysterious older gentleman who we will come to discover is his uncle and actually eight hundred years old.
His girlfriend, Justice, is, blind. But this doesn’t keep this sexy former model from doing what she does best: computer hacking and being sassy. In the first season finale, we will learn that Justice is, in fact, a vampire hunter charged with ridding the city of Hunter’s alter ego. But she will eventually develop feelings for the brooding night stalker as well and eventually find herself torn by her love for both men – and her duty.
His rival is a defense attorney by day and bloodthirsty werewolf by night. The two cross paths and clash on a daily and nightly basis, unaware of each other’s true identities.
Also making life difficult for his vampire self is the hit man the underworld has hired to deal with him, a cross-wielding Cardinal from the wrong side of the tracks who will eventually assume the mantle of arch rival.
Behind the various criminals and gangsters our hero will face on a daily and nightly basis is an elusive criminal mastermind, a mysterious wheelchair-bound individual who sits behind the scenes, pulling the strings, seeking to end the lives of both Hunter and vampire. BUT in the show’s biggest twist, we reveal that this Big Bad is a third personality of Hunter’s, an evil entity who is unaware of his physical connection to the men he has sworn to kill.
The only one privy to everyone’s secrets is Hunter’s telepathic dog, Quince, who maintains his own high intelligence and ability to speak a secret – although he will occasionally use both, behind the scenes, to help Hunter out. Quince also serves as the series narrator, opening and closing each episode in snarky fashion and bridging the narrative gaps for audience members who have trouble understanding English.
Once we’ve signed off on this overview, we can move on to the pilot which will have plenty of jeopardy, flashbacks to medieval times, and a ticking clock that will take the form of an actual ticking clock on the right hand upper corner of the screen, a suspenseful little addition to the show.
So far, so awesome, no?
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