Scallywags

NZ TV SERIES

A roguish Chinese Kiwi student with artistic dreams is tricked into a wild & comic road trip through the South Island with an erratic older woman who is hellbent on seeking revenge on her husband for past wrongs.

SERIES VALUE

  • Underrepresented main characters
  • Showcasing AoNZ diversity in modern day
  • 1980s Dunedin art & music scene embedded in flashbacks
  • Humorous adventures mixed with emotional heft
  • South Island scenery

COMPS

The Trip
Tom Jones
The odd Couple

SYNOPSIS

SCALLYWAGS is inspired by the picaresque tradition. A wandering Odyssey across the length and breadth of the South Island becomes a journey of discovery for the two main characters.

Tom Yang is a first-generation Kiwi from Wellington who is struggling with his dreams of becoming an artist in a world dominated by AI and crushing family expectations. Sophronia FitzGibbons is an acerbic woman living a twilight existence in Oamaru and dwelling on past wrongs.

At the start of the series, Sophronia and Tom strike a unique bargain. Sophronia will reveal the location of a famous “lost” painting by a renowned Kiwi artist if Tom drives her to the destination.

On this road trip through the South Island, Sophronia reminisces about a summer she spent with Dunedin artists in the 1980s. Each tale that she tells through period flashbacks is teetering on the edge of realism. Yet each one helps Tom to think about his place in the world and his future.

But what Tom doesn’t know is that Sophronia has a hidden agenda. And her quest to find her mysterious husband will lead the pair on a merry – and sometimes highly illegal – dance.

DEVELOPMENT

SCALLYWAGS is in the initial stages of development. In line with Kōpere Ake, Elinor has created the outline for the series, with a breakdown of the pilot, subsequent episodes, and major characters. She’s interested in collaborating with a South Island production team on the project.

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