You may know me as a guy who drops movie scoops, but to be a good reporter these days, you have to straddle the worlds of both film and television, since the talent pool is now one and the same. With that in mind, I was talking to a buddy who works in television and I asked him, ‘what’s the funniest idea you’ve read lately?’ He said, ‘I read a script about a guy who works as a clean urine dealer and has an anger management problem, and it was pretty damn funny.’ I asked him what it was called, and here’s the kicker — it’s called PISSED, which, of course, makes sense in more ways than one.
Once I had the title and premise, it was easy to find out a little bit more about this project, which could prove to be liquid gold for whatever network decides to make Pissed their, um, number one priority.
It turns out that Pissed is a half-hour, single camera comedy from writers Adam Rose and Scott Shapiro. The project is actually set up over at Warner Horizon with Tory Tunnell and Joby Harold producing for Safehouse Pictures, whose Matt Schwartz will oversee development. Safehouse has an overall deal with Warner Bros. TV, but the script has already begun to circulate among network executives who like their comedies a little edgy.
The writers are represented by Evan Corday and Stan Spry at The Cartel, which has done a good job drumming up interest in this unique project. The premise may gross some people out, but the truth is that more and more companies are giving their employees drug tests, and as recreational marijuana use becomes legal in more states, there’s a growing need for clean urine, which can be hard to come by. This has become a real business for those with strong stomachs, and I imagine the job comes with its own peculiar perks, not to mention messy drawbacks.
Shapiro’s TV credits include Necessary Roughness and NCIS: New Orleans, while Rose is an actor (Santa Clarita Diet, Supernatural) who also writes and directs, having won several festival awards for his acclaimed short film Queen starring Ryan Eggold.
Stay tuned for more updates as the Pissed script “leaks” its way around town. It doesn’t take a “whiz” kid to know that this idea is too funny to end up in Hollywood’s development potty.
Jeff Sneider | Editor in Chief
