Lifeline: A One-Hour Serialized Drama Pilot

Abstract

In the era of “Peak TV” there is an overabundance of choice for the modern viewer. It has become increasingly difficult to tell compelling, character driven stories which engage a viewership long enough to take hold and find their solid footing. There have been retellings of old and familiar stories, serialization of movie plots, and the engagement of audience drawing talent usually reserved for the silver screen in attempts to carve out a market share of the attention economy. These gimmicks tend to fail the test of staying power, because as Shakespeare once tried to tell us, the plot is the thing. Without an engaging story, an audience will never stay. Lifeline seeks to command the middle ground, telling intriguing stories with genuine characters, that deal with relevant contemporary topics. There’s a reason Law and Order went 21 seasons. Lifeline follows Dr. Theodore Clark as he attempts to bring order to his life, and the world. A gifted psychiatrist, Ted feels underutilized in his day to day job as a therapist to the affluent. He volunteers at a suicide crisis hotline to satisfy his desire to truly help people, and at something better than a glacial pace. Frustrated by being unable to see his anonymous calls through to a resolution, he interferes in the lives of one of his callers, receiving immense satisfaction in the process. Each week Ted will pick a caller, and with the help of some supporting characters, change their lives for the better, or at least that’s what he hopes.