Tone:
The tone of the show is both dramatic and comedic as each week Scotty blindly stumbles into the travails of a stranger’s life. The drama comes out of his efforts to help these people. The humor comes out of his "insanity," which we see from the inside out. That is, we see both the insane person wandering aimlessly, and the extraordinarily gifted person following the will of a higher power.
I like to think of it as TOUCHED BY AN ANGEL meets ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST. Or more affectionately, TOUCHED BY A LUNATIC.
As you can tell, the thing I’ve learned about my own voice over the years (and have consciously tried to develop) is that I am best suited to writing drama with little touches of humor. I’m not a comedy writer. To do comedy well, you really have to be able to write great jokes, and that’s not me. My winning combination is a well-mixed cocktail of comedy and pathos, so I always try to inject humor wherever appropriate, and especially in places where the audience least expects it.
Then there’s your cast of characters, which at this point is an absolutely essential piece of the puzzle because their motivations will determine where your story will lead. Your cast is your compass. If you truly know each and every one of these people well, you will never be lost; you will always have someone you can ask for directions along the way, which will definitely come in handy when that crisis moment inevitably hits. Here are the main characters in Scotty’s Travels:
Characters:
Dr. Jonathon Scott – Born and raised in a tough blue-collar town, it was always Scotty’s dream to make a great living while helping those in need. Presently a prominent, 35-year-old psychiatrist, it appears that he’s achieved that goal. But in his heart of hearts he knows it isn’t true. The beautiful home, the fancy cars, the country club membership—it’s all just a smoke screen for his inadequacy, a way of convincing himself that he’s done enough. So when Liberty comes along and offers him a way to reconcile these feelings, it ultimately proves an offer he can’t refuse. Now part messiah, part psychic, and part schizophrenic, Scotty is on a mission to truly heal the world—one person at a time.
Liberty – Brutally forthright, frequently sarcastic, and always witty, Liberty is the ever-present voice in Scotty’s head. Speaking with an English accent, she can be as authoritative as Margaret Thatcher or as whimsical as Mary Poppins. Scotty has no idea where she came from and, intriguingly, neither does she. Liberty is both his sidekick and his muse, his Tonto and his Obi-Wan Kenobi, albeit one that we never actually see.
George Lazarus – A well-polished, old-guard shrink in his 50s, George is Scotty’s close friend and mentor. But upon witnessing Scotty’s schizotypal behavior, George immediately turns from confidante to antagonist, insisting that Scotty undergo a psychiatric evaluation. George’s character is an ominous presence throughout the series as the search for Scotty becomes a recurring theme.
Melissa Scott – Strong, vibrant, and intelligent, Melissa is the kind of woman who could run a Fortune 500 company, but still relishes being a full-time mom. She loves her husband deeply, but when he starts to flip out she is completely at a loss. Having met Scotty in her freshman year of college, she thought she knew all his eccentricities, but she never bargained for this.
Isabel Scott – 7-year-old Isabel possesses a maturity and an intelligence that is way beyond her years. She’s both her father and her mother’s daughter, already excelling both socially and academically.
Christopher Scott – At this point, 4-year-old Christopher is 100% rough and tumble, and a startling mirror of the youthful innocent his father has, in many ways, reverted into.
Finally, there’s the story summary, which is basically a very abridged version of the next stage of the process, the outline.
Pilot Story Summary:
Following a session with a bipolar teenager, Scotty’s feelings of professional inadequacy reach a zenith. Shortly afterward, Liberty visits him for the first time. Naturally, Liberty spooks Scotty, but when she inexplicably helps him foil the kid’s attempted suicide, Scotty reconsiders the benefits of her presence and quickly warms to her.
Scotty tries to describe the miraculous experience to Melissa, but she has difficulty taking him seriously. Then, with Liberty’s encouragement, Scotty inadvertently condemns the entire psychiatric profession in a speech to a packed convention house. The exhilaration he feels from speaking his mind eclipses any apprehension he might have had about sabotaging his career. This newfound freedom then spirals further out of control as he attempts to liquidate all his financial assets and take his family on the road. Frightened by the sudden irrational behavior, Melissa turns to George Lazarus for help. Together, George and Melissa make the painful decision to submit Scotty to a compulsory psychiatric evaluation.
Faced with the specter of being institutionalized for life, Scotty enlists Liberty’s help, engineers a bold escape from the hospital, and sets out on his journey to heal the world.
One more important thing about Concept Documents before we move on . . .Generally, this is not a document that I show to anyone. It’s mostly
