ELEVATOR TO TARTARUS
By Leah Wilson
The Pitch:
Think “The Good Place” meets Greek mythology sitcom.
The Goddess of Spring finds an unlikely ally in Hades, the sarcastic Lord of the Underworld. They must find a way to save a dying nymph from Covid-19, and discover their true feelings for each other along the way; but Fate has other plans.
Read the PilotTeaser Trailer
Proof of concept assembled from stock footage and voice clips. The show should be a love letter to single-cam sitcoms like “New Girl” or "Brooklyn 99”. Actor’s names included for demonstration purposes only. No talent is currently attached to this project. Please watch with sound.
Animated Intro
The best shows have memorable motion graphics. The goal is to pay homage to Mad Men with photo collage, and the Muses from Disney’s Hercules(1997). Please watch with sound!
Pilot - Cold Open: Storyboard
Behind the scenes look at Episode 1. No AI was used in the creative process. Please watch with sound. Huge thank you to the voice talent volunteers:
-
Elishah Earley
-
Edward Hicks
-
Ajay Ganapathy
-
John Hayes
-
Leah Wilson
Characters
Actors we envision include:
Hades
Lord of the Dead
(Think Kumail Nanjiani)
Persephone
Goddess of Spring
(Think Hannah Simone)
Eros
God of Love
(Think Gianmarco Soresi)
Artemis
Goddess of the Hunt
(Think Felicia Day)
Chiron
Immortal Centaur
(Think Jason Mantzoukas)
Demeter
Goddess of Harvests
(Think Lisa Edelstein)
Thanatos
God of Death
(Think Domhnall Gleeson)
Hecate
Goddess of Witchcraft
(Think Laura Prepon)
Aphrodite
Goddess of Love
(Think Jennifer Coolidge)
Ares
God of War
(Think Patrick Warburton)
Hephaestus
God of Artisans
(Think Terry Crews)
Medusa
Gorgon
(Think Issa Rae)
Season 1
Persephone convinces a smitten Hades to help her save Daphne, a nymph on the edge of death, from Covid-19. Meanwhile, Demeter believes her daughter has been kidnapped. A jealous Thanatos wipes Hades memories, and both Hades and Persephone must overcome
magical obstacles to reunite.
Season 2
Hades and Persephone’s new relationship is tested by Mynthe and Adonis. Hecate gives a tour of the Underworld office. Thanatos plots revenge. Artemis recalls her tragic Trojan War
backstory. Zeus loses his wisdom, and Demeter gets a new boyfriend. Persephone and Hades get engaged while escaping the
Mistress of the Labyrinth.
Season 3
Poseidon and Hera plot to overthrow Zeus. Thanatos poisons Hades. Persephone travels to the Realm of Darkness to save him. She is seduced by a Hades doppelgänger that turns
out to be Zeus. She throws him into Tartarus, and Poseidon seizes his opportunity to take
over Olympus. He is defeated in a battle royale of all the Gods.
SEASON 1 SYNOPSIS
1. Secret Mission
It’s Persephone’s first time on Olympus at the Centennial ball, where she and Artemis seek an ally to help her dying friend. Eros accidentally strikes Hades
with an arrow. He falls head over heels for Persephone, literally, down a trash chute and into the mortal realm.
2. Has-Been Centaur
Hades guides Persephone to meet Chiron, a legendary half-horse healer. They have to stop and ask Thanatos for directions. When they find him, they
discover that Chiron is not exactly ready to go back to practicing medicine.
3. Meddlesome Fate
Eros, desperate to retrieve his arrow, tries out a new tool with his father, Hephaestus. Hades seeks advice from the Fates on his first “date” with Persephone. The Fates give him a chilling vision of the future.
4. Goth Chicken
Daphne needs Persephone’s help to turn back into a tree. Thanatos reveals a scandalous secret to Eros. Hermes overhears a juicy conversation between Zeus and Hades. The gossip causes a fight between Persephone and Hades.
5. Echo Location
Artemis finds Persephone after she splits from Hades. A mysterious message sends the Goddess of Spring on a mission to the Underworld. Eros makes a final attempt to grab the arrow. Hades loses his memory. Persephone unleashes her temper on Thanatos.
6. Missed Calls
Reeling from the previous day’s events, Persephone returns to her mother ’s house, scheming to get back the lost love of her life. Hades in his amnesiac state agrees to meet up with Mynthe, and Demeter performs a magic ritual to keep Persephone safe. Hecate shares a powerpoint overview of Underworld logistics.
7. Swiss Cheese Soul
Persephone finds herself trapped in a dreamscape with Morpheus. Eros travels to the Underworld to restore Hades’ memory, and encounters the spider, Arachne. Artemis is determined to break Persephone out of her dream prison.
8. Pomegranates
Hades battles a golem to get through Demeter ’s magical defenses, only to discover that Persephone has already left. Artemis and Persephone must
convince Cerberus to take them across the River Styx. She encounters Arachne and Medusa at a karaoke bar. Hades reunites with Persephone.
Target Audience
-
The Abduction of Persephone is a myth explaining the spring and winter seasons. Our core audience knows of this, but broader audiences won’t need to know the lore to laugh out loud.
-
Significant overlap with DropoutTV, as well as Dungeons & Dragons audience
01 WOMEN AGES 21 - 40
Studios constantly underestimate the buying power and viewership of women. Bridgerton is a prime example. The story, characters, and jokes of Elevator to Tartarus appeal to both genders, but caters specifically to the female gaze.
02 CURSORY KNOWLEDGE
OF THE MYTHOS
Everyone has seen the animated Disney movie Hercules, and that’s all you need to know to understand most references going in. But there are plenty of easter eggs for our core audience to spot the deeper lore.
03 SITCOM NOSTALGIA
They miss light-hearted traditional single-cam sitcoms like The Good Place, The Office, Brooklyn99, New Girl, Parks and Rec. Our audience is looking for escapism, not grim-dark.
Competitive
Analysis
-
72.2M likes for the webtoon Lore Olympus, YA animated series now under development at Jim Henson Company
-
1M+ copies of Hades I video game have been sold
-
Hades II video game made an est. $69M gross revenue
-
HadesTown and Epic the Musical have made a cultural footprint
-
YouTube channels which average 2.2M views per video get ~10x viewership on videos centered around Hades subject matter, regardless of usual channel focus.
01 PERCY JACKSON - DISNEY+
-
91% Rotten Tomatoes
-
13.3M Views First 6 Days (Top 10)
-
$144M+ S1 Budget (12 Ep)
-
Renewed 3 seasons
02 KAOS - NETFLIX
-
77% Rotten Tomatoes
-
20.3M Views Over 6 Months
-
Cancelled after season 1 (most viewed cancelled show)
03 BLOOD OF ZEUS - NETFLIX
-
100% Rotten Tomatoes
-
Renewed 3 seasons
04 KRAPOPOLIS - FOX
-
56% Rotten Tomatoes
-
3.6M Premiere (most watched TV animated series in a decade)
-
$34.5M S1 Budget ($1.5M per Ep, 23 Ep)
-
Renewed 4 seasons
What Are the Take-Aways?
-
A small portion of Lore Olympus fans have complained that the story paints Persephone’s mother in an un-feminist light. This story aims to solve that by giving Demeter a redemption arc.
01 AUTHENTIC DEMAND FOR GREEK MYTHOLOGY
Disney+ has shown the success of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, a story that stays true to its source material.
02 TELL THE RIGHT STORY
I believe the biggest mistake KAOS made was marketing Zeus as the main character. People want a story about Hades and how much he loves his wife, Persephone. They want a "Gomez and Morticia" story.
03 SMALLER BUDGET CAN STILL DELIVER BIG ROI
Dan Harmon’s Krapopolis was renewed for several seasons even though the Rotten Tomatoes score is much lower by comparison.
Sponsorship
-
Soap Opera Tactics
-
Meta jokes about other YouTube sponsorships
-
Non-invasive to the plot
-
Possible action figure merchandising opportunity
01 NATIVE DEODORANT
Their Greek Goddess themed marketing campaign lends itself perfectly to having a charcoal scented deodorant show up on Hades’ bathroom counter. Or a pomegranate scented shampoo.
02 COMETEER
Hades takes his coffee black, like his soul.
03 POM WONDERFUL
Pomegranates are the only thing that grows in the Underworld. Of course Hades has a refrigerator full of POM Wonderful juice.
04 MINT MOBILE
Just because Hades is the God of Wealth doesn’t mean he doesn’t like to save on his Underworld phone bill. Can you hear me now?
What’s the Minimum Viable Product?
Hades Goes to Therapy
The plan is to prove out the characters and attract an audience via YouTube short skit series. Each 5 minute bottle episode centers on a different God or Goddess. The intention is to AB test is whether viewers respond more to live action skits, or 2D animations.
LOGLINE
A regular therapist’s life is turned upside down when the Lord of the Dead decides to pay him a visit to discuss his infidelity and childhood trauma; the rest of the pantheon follows suit.
1. Hades
Goes to Therapy
An unassuming man claiming to be Hades shows up at Dr. Goldblum’s office. They discuss his infidelity and childhood trauma, but it takes something drastic to convince the skeptical therapist that he is actually talking to the Greek God of Death.
2. Eros
Goes to Therapy
The God of Love complains about his mother's messy divorce. Aphrodite left Hephaestus for Ares, but Hephaestus has always been there for him, and Ares is… Ares. Dr. Goldblum makes an insensitive comment, and ends up on the wrong end of his bow and arrow.
3. Hera
Goes to Therapy
Hades asks Zeus for a favor to return Dr. Goldblum to the land of the living. In return, Zeus asks for a favor from the therapist: a marriage counseling session with Hera. Zeus flirts with the secretary, and the appointment goes sideways.
4. Hermes
Goes to Therapy
Hermes has a virtual session and talks about his daughter, Palaestra, the Goddess of Wrestling. He fears he may have something called ADHD, but what happens to his powers of speed if he starts the medication?
5. Hephaestus
Goes to Therapy
Hephaestus is perhaps the most well adjusted of the Gods. He comes in because his new wife, Grace, insists he doesn’t know how to maintain a healthy work-life balance and spend time with their three kids.
6. Dionysus
Goes to Therapy
Dionysus relives how he met and married Ariadne. But now he’s divorced and dealing with an identity crisis, as Ariadne has asked him to give up wine. Can the God of Bacchanalia and revelry get sober?
7. Athena
Goes to Therapy
Athena tells the story of her greatest regrets, Arachne, Medusa, and Pallas. She feels like an imposter compared to her mother. If Metis is the real Goddess of Wisdom, how can she ever measure up? How can she save her from Zeus?
8. Persephone
Goes to Therapy
Hades convinces Persephone to try couples counseling. For some reason, she’s brought a potted plant into the office that starts making sarcastic comments while she recalls the Adonis incident.