Is there an audience for a TV show about a microbrewery?

[MikeSpencer]

Hey, everyone. I have written a one-hour dramedy TV pilot about the founding and operation of a microbrewery, and I am trying to gauge people's interest in having such a show be produced. I created a poll in LinkedIn and got just over 800 votes, of which 75% said YES. Curious to know if I'd get similar results here. Thank you in advance for voting, and if you'd be interested to learn more about the project, visit lotsbrewing(dot)com where you can request a copy of the script if you'd like.

 

[Drewch]

Yes - if you keep it ≤ TV-14.

 

[MikeSpencer]

Yes - if you keep it ≤ TV-14.

Agreed. I want to keep it somewhat lighthearted. There's this thing called "comps" where you describe your written work by comparing it to other shows that have aired. My description is "Six Feet Under meets Friends" as I feel that would be the tone. There is some recreational drug use (in part because one character in particular will face addiction issues ongoing), a fair amount of drinking, and the occasional curse, but not very much of that. No sex scenes to speak of either... Thank you for your contribution.

 

[kartracer2]

I voted "Maybe". For me it will have to have a heck of a hook to catch me. Just because it's centered around a microbrewery won't/might not be enough. I sat through a couple of episodes of "Beer Masters" and couldn't do any more. It sounds like your show is nothing like that but just because it's about beer won't make it a watcher for me. I'm not a big "TV show" kind of guy anyway, TCM, Discovery, Smithsonian, Nat Geo, most any motorsports and the like suits me better. But hey, I am sucker for a "Columbo" or a "Rockford Files" rerun any time. (LOL)
I would give it a chance though. Good luck, keep us posted!
Cheers,
Joel B.

 

[grampamark]

I voted “maybe”.

My wife and I are in our 70s and haven’t been regular viewers of series TV since, probably, the last episode of M*A*S*H. We‘ve developed what we call “the 10 minute rule”. If we can tolerate a new show until the first commercial break it might have some promise. I think “Big Bang Theory” was the last show to make the grade.

Most series TV is formulaic. I get it. That’s what pays the bills. There are a lot of folks who want/need to see the same type of characters regardless of the setting. Whether the show is set in a hospital, bar/restaurant, military base, apartment house, suburban neighborhood, whatever, it seems that every attempt has the same character types.

If your proposal can become a true, ensemble production, outside the “Alpha character surrounded by the usual supporting characters” template, it might make it past the first 10 minutes at our house. Good luck.

 

[MikeSpencer]

I voted “maybe”.

My wife and I are in our 70s and haven’t been regular viewers of series TV since, probably, the last episode of M*A*S*H. We‘ve developed what we call “the 10 minute rule”. If we can tolerate a new show until the first commercial break it might have some promise. I think “Big Bang Theory” was the last show to make the grade.

Most series TV is formulaic. I get it. That’s what pays the bills. There are a lot of folks who want/need to see the same type of characters regardless of the setting. Whether the show is set in a hospital, bar/restaurant, military base, apartment house, suburban neighborhood, whatever, it seems that every attempt has the same character types.

If your proposal can become a true, ensemble production, outside the “Alpha character surrounded by the usual supporting characters” template, it might make it past the first 10 minutes at our house. Good luck.

If anything, the different structure I have gone with would make many say it is not formulaic enough, but there's a tone I'm going for which has me keeping it slower than the norm. It hopefully will be done in a way such that you get to understand these founders are in personal ruts across the board, and because they suffer from arrested development, not much personal growth can reasonably be believed. But they each find a jolt to their respective energies when the money arrives. At what cost this growth will come is not clear, but journeys are kicked off and much transpires during the founding of Land of the Sky Brewing Co.

 

[Broken Crow]

If you're going for a limited run, such as 1 or 2 seasons and no more, then I say yes. I've worked on pilots for proposed shows, one was to be a partially comedic cooking show following a guy who, every time he goes and hangs out or on a date, ends up cooking something with explicit instructions...and I gotta say, the food was marvellous! Another was a comedy about a gym and the various absurtities that really are common in gyms (though maybe stretched a bit) such as the guys who spend hours on the bicycle with a load of junk-food watching movies on the screens on the handlebars and whatnot... This was over 10 years ago, and it was still pretty much the custom to pitch a show with the expectation it would run continuously for years. In more recent times, there is an ever increasing number of mini-series, and with so singular a centerpiece as the founding and operation of a microbrew, I'd write it out and pitch it with the stated intent of no more than a season or two.
As viewer, I am far more attracted to a show if it looks like they can fully cover thier premise and wrap it up without struggling to concoct ever more ludicrous stories solely for the sake of keeping it running.
I'd definitely give such a show a try, but only if I knew it had a forseeable closure.

 

[MikeSpencer]

I voted "Maybe". For me it will have to have a heck of a hook to catch me. Just because it's centered around a microbrewery won't/might not be enough. I sat through a couple of episodes of "Beer Masters" and couldn't do any more. It sounds like your show is nothing like that but just because it's about beer won't make it a watcher for me. I'm not a big "TV show" kind of guy anyway, TCM, Discovery, Smithsonian, Nat Geo, most any motorsports and the like suits me better. But hey, I am sucker for a "Columbo" or a "Rockford Files" rerun any time. (LOL)
I would give it a chance though. Good luck, keep us posted!
Cheers,
Joel B.

It's like a brewery in a way similar to Cheers being about a bar. Hopefully, the characters will be relatable (if not always likable), and so will go places worth seeing and, maybe, even think/discuss interesting things from time to time, when not hammering each other with barbs, most loving, some not.

 

[grampamark]

…Land of the Sky Brewing Co.

A thinly veiled Hamm’s reference?

 

[BrewZer]

I voted maybe, but you have to remember -- you're asking a bunch of brewers if they'd be interested. That's going to skew your results considerably. That said, here are some title suggestions:

"How I Met Your Marzen"
"M*A*S*H*T*U*N"
"Bock To The Future"
"Dubbel The Trubble"
"Weisse Guys"
"Dunkelstiltskin"
"IPA Lot"
"Bitter Memories"

 

[wsmith1625]

I voted Yes, I'd definitely give it a watch. But I doubt it would hold my interest. Who knows. I do think I would enjoy a reality show where professional brewers visit struggling microbreweries to help them stay afloat. Like the restaurant shows featuring Gordon Ramsey or Robert Irvine, but for breweries.

 

[kevin58]

If you are asking here and on other forums populated by brewers you are going to get unbalanced results. You would have to do a blind focus group. There have been plenty of shows on TV about brewing and homebrewing...The Beer Hunter in the late 80's... Brew Masters in the early 2010's... Brew Dogs in 2013... Dark Horse Nation in 2014... and Beerland in the last 2010's. None lasted longer than a season or two.

Moonshiners works because of the illegality issue and in large part because of the variety of colorful characters. A lot of what people tune in to see are characters they like. I would suggest you study shows that are similar and try to emulate them... food shows like Diners, Drive ins and Dives, Bar Rescue, Anthony Bourdains old series and the aforementioned Moonshiners just to name a few.

From my discussions (not recent) with a former native of our city and exec at CBS Television in Los Angeles here are some things I have heard him say...
If are going to pitch this to a TV channel, network or producer you need to make sure the pilot is the best thing they've ever seen. No doubt they have been pitched more than one show on this topic and if they passed on the others then yours needs to be the best they've ever seen. Also you will need more than one episode in your portfolio before you walk in on the outside chance they say yes. In that case they will very likely demand several more right away.

 

[Drewch]

Agreed. I want to keep it somewhat lighthearted. There's this thing called "comps" where you describe your written work by comparing it to other shows that have aired. My description is "Six Feet Under meets Friends" as I feel that would be the tone. There is some recreational drug use (in part because one character in particular will face addiction issues ongoing), a fair amount of drinking, and the occasional curse, but not very much of that. No sex scenes to speak of either... Thank you for your contribution.

I just know that if I can't watch it with the kids, it'll languish at the bottom of my Watchlist and never actually bubble up to getting watched.

 

[DoctorDuvel]

That said, here are some title suggestions:

Star San: The Next Generation
The Mandalorian Bavarian

lol sorry

 

[Drewch]

Star San: The Next Fermentation
The Mandalorian Bavarian

lol sorry

You misspelled “fermentation”.

 

[MikeSpencer]

A thinly veiled Hamm’s reference?

I remember Hamm's but not in that regard. Fill me in? But the nickname for Asheville, where the series is set, is The Land of the Sky. I grabbed the initialism and ran with it.

 

[grampamark]

I remember Hamm's but not in that regard. Fill me in? But the nickname for Asheville, where the series is set, is The Land of the Sky. I grabbed the initialism and ran with it.

Hamm’s trademark, and catchphrase used in their ads, was “From The Land Of Sky Blue Waters”.

 

[MikeSpencer]

If you are asking here and on other forums populated by brewers you are going to get unbalanced results. You would have to do a blind focus group. There have been plenty of shows on TV about brewing and homebrewing...The Beer Hunter in the late 80's... Brew Masters in the early 2010's... Brew Dogs in 2013... Dark Horse Nation in 2014... and Beerland in the last 2010's. None lasted longer than a season or two.

Moonshiners works because of the illegality issue and in large part because of the variety of colorful characters. A lot of what people tune in to see are characters they like. I would suggest you study shows that are similar and try to emulate them... food shows like Diners, Drive ins and Dives, Bar Rescue, Anthony Bourdains old series and the aforementioned Moonshiners just to name a few.

From my discussions (not recent) with a former native of our city and exec at CBS Television in Los Angeles here are some things I have heard him say...
If are going to pitch this to a TV channel, network or producer you need to make sure the pilot is the best thing they've ever seen. No doubt they have been pitched more than one show on this topic and if they passed on the others then yours needs to be the best they've ever seen. Also you will need more than one episode in your portfolio before you walk in on the outside chance they say yes. In that case they will very likely demand several more right away.

I mentioned in another thread that the show is about the characters and their maturation from stalled young adults into business owners who manage the challenges of running a small business together. So it's about a brewery in a way similar to how Six Feet Under was about a funeral parlor.

I have four completed episodes, a bible, and a one-sheet at the ready, and though I can't be sure it'll be the best thing someone's read, I can say it's as close to that as I can come.

 

[MikeSpencer]

Hamm’s trademark, and catchphrase used in their ads, was “From The Land Of Sky Blue Waters”.

Cool. I did not know about that. Thanks for sharing it.

 

[MikeSpencer]

I voted maybe, but you have to remember -- you're asking a bunch of brewers if they'd be interested. That's going to skew your results considerably. That said, here are some title suggestions:

"How I Met Your Marzen"
"M*A*S*H*T*U*N"
"Bock To The Future"
"Dubbel The Trubble"
"Weisse Guys"
"Dunkelstiltskin"
"IPA Lot"
"Bitter Memories"

In honesty, I figure the best chance for any show to take off is to get a passionate fan base to spread the word about it. I realized the results would be skewed before posting here, but for my purposes, identifying interest, it's okay by me.

 

[MikeSpencer]

If you're going for a limited run, such as 1 or 2 seasons and no more, then I say yes. I've worked on pilots for proposed shows, one was to be a partially comedic cooking show following a guy who, every time he goes and hangs out or on a date, ends up cooking something with explicit instructions...and I gotta say, the food was marvellous! Another was a comedy about a gym and the various absurtities that really are common in gyms (though maybe stretched a bit) such as the guys who spend hours on the bicycle with a load of junk-food watching movies on the screens on the handlebars and whatnot... This was over 10 years ago, and it was still pretty much the custom to pitch a show with the expectation it would run continuously for years. In more recent times, there is an ever increasing number of mini-series, and with so singular a centerpiece as the founding and operation of a microbrew, I'd write it out and pitch it with the stated intent of no more than a season or two.
As viewer, I am far more attracted to a show if it looks like they can fully cover thier premise and wrap it up without struggling to concoct ever more ludicrous stories solely for the sake of keeping it running.
I'd definitely give such a show a try, but only if I knew it had a forseeable closure.

I have the concept for season 1 fairly well figured out. The second season picks up with the brewery open. How long it makes sense to show that part of the story, I'm not sure, but the story has legs if for no other reason than small businesses face challenges ongoing. Thank you for your contribution!

 

[bruce_the_loon]

Only if the cold opening on the first episode involves the "grizzled" older brewer trying to prank the new hires with a "does this look infected" question while getting them to stick their heads in the fermenter manway hatch.

 

[Spartan1979]

I'd watch it, but as mentioned above, a similar show, Dark Horse Nation, was done in 2014. It only lasted one season and they did have some interesting characters.

 

[mac_1103]

Maybe a reality show where John Palmer goes around fixing microbreweries whose owners are in over their heads. Probably wouldn't work though, because he's probably not the sort to yell and scream at people.

 

[MikeSpencer]

Only if the cold opening on the first episode involves the "grizzled" older brewer trying to prank the new hires with a "does this look infected" question while getting them to stick their heads in the fermenter manway hatch.

Once the place opens, there will be all kinds of true stories worked into the plot lines. This might just have to be one of them!

 

[Spartan1979]

Maybe a reality show where John Palmer goes around fixing microbreweries whose owners are in over their heads. Probably wouldn't work though, because he's probably not the sort to yell and scream at people.

Breweries probably also can't be fixed in the 72 hours they use on the restaurant/bar shows.

 

[mac_1103]

Breweries also can't be fixed in the 72 hours they use on the restaurant/bar shows.

I'm pretty sure that some of the wholesale remodeling jobs I've seen on the restaurant shows took more than 72 hours.

 

[Broken Crow]

Oh...A point that matters to me; I see you've been on here a couple years, but are you actually a homebrewer or working in a brewery and able to maintain an accurate and realistic script as it pertains the the realities of brewing? I've always been put off by impossible elements in shows, such as; A car stalls for no apparent reason, and the 'knowledgable' driver gets out and 'fixes' it with his bare hands by wiggling something....a thing that could never actually work. The movie 'Young Einstien", I found unwatchable because the writers clearly didn't know the first thing about brewing.

 

[MikeSpencer]

Oh...A point that matters to me; I see you've been on here a couple years, but are you actually a homebrewer or working in a brewery and able to maintain an accurate and realistic script as it pertains the the realities of brewing? I've always been put off by impossible elements in shows, such as; A car stalls for no apparent reason, and the 'knowledgable' driver gets out and 'fixes' it with his bare hands by wiggling something....a thing that could never actually work. The movie 'Young Einstien", I found unwatchable because the writers clearly didn't know the first thing about brewing.

I am not a brewer myself, so I went to the most reputable source I could figure, the owner of a brewing supply store. He and his guys read my work and made sure it was not only accurate, but also reflective of what these sort of guys would realistically be able to pull off. It comes across as believable, or at least I hope so. The one stretch is that there are rich relatives, which requires a bit of suspended disbelief, but that's how it is this brewer has a setup to drool over.

 

[mac_1103]

Rich relatives isn't that much of a stretch, but rich relatives who will finance your brewery might be.