runtime & EPISODES.
30(ish) minutes.
— Though the storyline has sometimes weightier themes, which are often paired with an hour runtime, we want Bound to be more in the bucket of our personal favorite shows, like: I Love Lucy, MASH,* Martin and The Office. … We say “30-ish” minutes because the scripts right now fall in between 30-40 minutes, taking advantage of the extra room in streaming, but still with that shorter, lighter style in mind.
16(ish) episodes.
— The shows listed above had too many episodes, hitting upwards of 24 in a season, back in the day. However, the eight episode season often used by streaming shows today feels too short. Bound would ultimately try to go somewhere in between, where we can have longer arcs and threads but also time for one-off, stories-of-the-week and recurring specials, like a “Holiday” or a “Travel” episode, where traditions can start.
* If we could only pick one reference series for Bound - out of the history of television - it would be MASH, the classic series about a group of Army doctors, nurses and crew during the Korean War. It was a true “sitcom,” but also much more - in fact, at times, the opposite of a sitcom. It was about strangers away from home, together. It was a story-of-the-week show but with a large, thematic thread in the war in the background. — What could all that look like for the modern day?
SERIES structure.
— Today, Bound is outlined at five seasons and the intention would be to complete those five seasons, on time, over five years. Below is a breakdown of how the seasons might generally shape up. Of course, it’s all always up for change during the course of development, and so, for now, we’ll keep the summaries short and broad.
Season 1 (Go)
— Tracks the arrival and then discovery of a new world (for the characters). Details the first days after landing, then a rowdier “on holiday'“ period before moving into ideas on why and how to stay more permanently.
Season 2 (Keep going)
— After the long, honeymoon (sometimes nightmare) period is over, we get into the trials of trying to build up a life in a place that’s different to what the characters are used to. By the end, they should be settled (sort of).
Season 3 (Let go)
— Time and events further cement the characters into their new world and, in some cases, further to each other (here comes a wedding! duh). As a result, older ideas and identities are shed, or maybe, just layered onto.
Season 4 (Go, again)
— With the perspectives and consequences of all that’s come before, the characters start to embark on a newer and maybe crazier adventure. By the end of season, there’s a full push into that new direction/endeavor.
Season 5 (Go off)
— Characters continue in their new endeavor and soon come up to the bottom line of it all.
Distribution ideas.
How would the series be delivered?
— Allow us to jump the gun here and to dream a little. We’d be happy as hell to air anywhere but in a perfect world So Far Bound would stream for free on its new, home platform, called TAR, as well as on public spaces like YouTube at the start. … Episodes would distribute weekly, or twice a week, at set times. The goal would be for any season to wrap in no more than two months (or 8 weeks).
Wait, what is TAR?
— Since we’re on our own, it’s important that we consider the totality of a project. Not just the story and the episode production, but also the ecosystem in which a series exists. So, while building the first episodes, we’ll also work to build a platform (TAR) that can act as an engine for Bound (and other projects) and also, if needed, serve as a viewing home for such projects.
* “TAR” is named for my (Evan) hometown of Rocky Mount, North Carolina, which is divided by the Tar River.
An unexpected tangent:
— It’s funny; the bullet point at the top of the page that says “LIVE-ACTION” was a throwaway line. I wrote it just to be crystal clear about the project since there’s no video or photography yet, only drawings. But then I realized that, if and when Bound gets made in the future, a term like “live-action” may take on a new weight. It may even be a rule-of-law disclaimer, all because of artificial intelligence. Soon someone will probably be able to input “make show about people stranded in new city” and some AI generator will spit out a script and video that looks just like real life, but it’s a fake one.
What a shame it’ll be. — To be “alive” you need purpose and friction, just like you need food and water. And not just the big kinds, like a grand, life purpose or a large friction - like heartbreak - from which you grow. You also need little purposes and frictions, like: “Today my purpose is to figure out how to shoot this scene” and the friction is that there’s an argument between actors and the gear is malfunctioning. It’s annoying in the moment, but also, it’s great because it means you’re living and learning and maybe one day you’ll speak about the tough times but also the good memories you had while making something with your own, two hands.
But we can’t have memories - and thus a life - if AI starts doing too many things for us and instead of us. So, let us be an early, creative project to re-interpret the once throwaway term “live-action” into something more substantial. — So Far Bound is a live-action series, meaning - whether it's good or bad - it will have tried to do everything practically and it will have tried to generate opportunities for people, and it will have had more life because it will not have touched that AI, zombie bullsh*t.