On writing for TV and football . . .

I've finished a couple of rewrites of the pilot episode for a TV show I'm trying to develop.

I'm calling the show The Prince. Not that it has anything to do with Machiavelli, except peripherally. I tried to come up with a different title for it but The Prince is too perfect to disregard without another, even more perfect title. Because that's what it's about.

Anyway, I've gotten the rough draft of the pilot written and I'm rewriting it now. I'm pretty happy with it so far. It strikes the tone I'm looking for, and the characters seem alive to me. It still needs some work before I start showing it to people, but so far, so good. Now, in addition to fine tuning the pilot script, I'm working on the bible for the show that gives as much detail of the world it exists in as possible, and I need to fill in the map of the area, too, so I'll have an idea where everything is. The countries involved, the people and places, never actually existed, so I'm not obliged to stick to actual historical reality too much.

The main thing that concerns me about it is a practical manner: it's a period piece. It's set in a time that would roughly be the late 17th century. Those are hard to get made, with pretty good reason--they're expensive. But they're also pretty popular at the moment, so hopefully there will be some studio out there somewhere that'd be willing to give this thing a shot. We'll see.

I'm also starting to think about another idea I've had for a while now about a post-apocalyptic drama. I think I'll be working on an outline for the pilot for that one today, while I let the pilot for The Prince marinate a bit. I'm calling that one New Avalon.

I think both shows are especially relevant, given the times we live in. The Prince is about a young man discovering and developing the skills and attitudes he needs to become an effective ruler. New Avalon is about recovering from a disaster, rebuilding and starting again.

Also, both shows have a limited run, if they ever get made. The Prince would run about five or six seasons. New Avalon would go for about seven or eight. Under ideal circumstances.

Now, to football.

As you are aware if you're one of the two people who reads this, I'm an Atlanta Falcons fan. I've been a fan of the Falcons since there's been a Falcons. Over fifty years. So I'm excited about the upcoming Superbowl.

Yeah, I know they were in the Superbowl before, back in the late 90s, but nobody back then--not even me--really gave them much of a chance to win against that Denver Broncos team. Denver was fated to win that year and I think the Falcons were just happy to be there. They had a really good team that year, but Denver had an outstanding team. It wasn't much of a contest.

Not this time. The Falcons offense is record setting and there is no one individual--outside of the quarterback, Matt Ryan--who is the central focus. Yes, wide receiver Julio Jones is incredible, but he's only one player, and Ryan won't try to force the ball to him if he's not open. He's got so many other options to go to this time--two other receivers, Samu and Gabriel, who are lightning quick, as well as a great tandem of running backs, Coleman and Freeman. The offensive line is playing as well as they've ever played. Offensively I think they're set.

Defensively, who knows? That's been a bit of a weakness all season. There are four rookies who play key positions, and the earlier part of the season they played like rookies. Later on they seemed to gel a bit but there were still a few lapses. That can't happen against the Patriots--Brady will take advantage of any mistakes he sees.

I'm also a bit worried about special teams. I think they got exposed a bit in the game against Seattle where Devin Hester lit them up. Granted, Hester is a one-of-a-kind kick/punt returner (Falcons should know since he played for them a while) but still, it was concerning. As long as Bosher  can force fair catches or kick it out of the end zone we should be okay. If not--please please please stay in your lanes, guys, and make a freakin' tackle!

So, if the defense can put pressure on Brady without having to blitz (I'm looking at you, Vic Beasley, Jr.) then I think the Falcons have a really good chance at winning this game.

I'm still trying to get my head around the idea of a Superbowl where I actually really, really care who wins. If they win it, I'm not sure if I can handle it.

Let's find out if I can, shall we?