Picture a depressed human, very dejected, at a bar. This individual starts the age old discussion* with the barman about how life's a bummer and nothing goes to plan. As the programme proceeds, this human is shown to be unearthly and is in fact Death, with the capital D and has slowly become lousy at his job.He can get to work on time, make the call but humans step in, science steps in and the souls don't leave.The series discusses the ways and hows of death in modern life, with flashbacks into past centuries of how this particular Death had a bit of an easier job.
The other major character is a genius level hospital lab technician that has a partial, messed up, near death and can now see and communicate with Death. This character, through random and but not deliberate acts, helps Death try and complete the assignments. The show is a win or lose scenario. The viewer doesn't know if death is going to succeed or not. The rug can be pulled out from the viewer with twists a plenty or there can be shock success. The lab technician eventually becomes under investigation from Police involved with a death that doesn't add up, Death being seen is causing problems.
Over the course of the series, it comes to light that another unearthly entity, inspires science and technological development and in the act, devolves. This regression is highly sort after by the entity (Imagine a future Dr Manhattan trying to revert to a random animistic Mr Hyde). The problem Death has, is some new developments cause a welcoming case load, where others are a blunting of the sickle. It is a fine line this Death has, in steering this entities actions for the maintenance of the circle of human life.
Born to live, love, get angry, cry and die. But we just never know when.
*Actually, each program could start or contain a bar conversation of pertinent facts on a current happening or some of the big questions, at different bars (breakfast included) with varying wAIt staff or patrons.-- wjt, Aug 08 2020 Susan Sto Helit https://en.wikipedi...iki/Susan_Sto_HelitDo not be afraid ... be absolutely bloody terrified. [8th of 7, Aug 10 2020] // varying weight staff //
What, like they're on slimming diets, or eat a lot of doughnuts or something ?-- 8th of 7, Aug 08 2020 Very original, don't see a lot of that these days. Everything is "Take this successful franchise, blend it with this, we should get returns equal to both." Modern entertainment is created using math more than creativity. [+]-- doctorremulac3, Aug 08 2020 Although not wildly similar, 'On a Pale Horse' by Piers Anthony has a new 'death' learning the ropes with his horse and possibly one other side-kick. I thought it was better than 'Mort' in many ways.-- 4and20, Aug 08 2020 // Who’s your next choice to write it? //
Stephen Baxter ?-- 8th of 7, Aug 08 2020 Maybe the timing is bad for this. Death's having a pretty good run of things.-- tatterdemalion, Aug 08 2020 [tatterdemalion] Got to bank as much as you can while times are good. Also helps question the meaning of death in the modern societies expansion path. Euthanasia referendum on the ballot here in New Zealand.
// Who’s your next choice to write it? //
Personally, there's always room for someone new. Preferably someone that is skilled at thinking up twists from shockingly different angles.
I was imagining a call on a hit man. Death wouldn't be please as the person would be a source of work and because their hard to catch. Times were easy in the late 18th for a case with cheating lord that used a long range hitman. The tech could be easily made to fail, these days not so much. So reluctantly, Death, with at bit of when knowing, encourages a young kid to play with the families loaded gun for that long ranged one in a million shot.-- wjt, Aug 08 2020 Or even, guest writers per episode to have a different takes on this plot skeleton. This may give a random episode airing dates, a bit like death.-- wjt, Aug 08 2020 I'm cloudy on the actual idea, but I just thought I'd leave this here...
My daughter is a Certified Death Doula. She arrives to sit with the dying, or their family, to attempt to assist them in the transition taking place.
Religious preference doesn't apply. The soul goes where the soul goes. But just like a regular Doula who assists the Mother at the moment of birth, a Death Doula will assist as the circle of life to death runs the course.-- blissmiss, Aug 09 2020 // attempt to assist them in the transition taking place. //
We know people who do much more than just "assist" ...-- 8th of 7, Aug 09 2020 // Euthanasia referendum on the ballot here in New Zealand.
Do it. It's the right thing. Canada has had this for several years now and though it is not without its shortcomings*, it has undoubtedly relieved a lot of unnecessary suffering.
*One e.g., because it requires capable and informed consent, it is not available for people suffering from Alzheimer's and such.-- tatterdemalion, Aug 09 2020 // Euthanasia referendum on the ballot here in New Zealand.
Don't do it. What the hell is it about Germanic countries? Euthanasia became a fad in Switzerland and the Benelux countries first. Is it a hint of Valhalla, or more likely just, to [8th]'s point, just extremely cold people? Germanic peoples think the only way they'll finally achieve 'dignity' is by letting the state or more or less forcing medical professionals who have much better things to do to kill anyone with a nebulous future. What kind of absolute crackpot weirdos are absolutely against the death penalty but insist that state-administered euthanasia is a 'human right'. Really, Anglo-Saxons are so congenitally sheeple that they can look at British or German history and say 'Oh yes, I trust those leaders completely'?-- 4and20, Aug 10 2020 It's more likely a rationalist (protestant) reaction to the whole catholic all-life-is-sacred rubbish.
After all, it's only a very, very late form of abortion...-- 8th of 7, Aug 10 2020 Let's talk about actors for the roles. I could see Christopher Walken, Forrest Whitaker, or Jack Quaid in the role as Death. The tech needs to be a bit of a brilliant comic cock- up.
Maybe there's a CSI agent who is legit but is suspicious of the leads somehow?-- RayfordSteele, Aug 10 2020 "I want to live my life so that when I'm dying I will say, Thank you God, it's about time".
Amen.-- blissmiss, Aug 10 2020 // actors for the roles //
Lance Henriksen ?
A performer with specific voice skills is needed - one who can TALK IN BLOCK CAPITALS, like the sound of coffin lids slamming.
Or you could cast a female in the role ...
<link>-- 8th of 7, Aug 10 2020 A pleasant, comforting figure? Been done. See Andrew in Touched By an Angel. Very forgettable.-- RayfordSteele, Aug 10 2020 [8th] - //Susan Sto Helit// I haven't read most of the Discworld series yet, but wasn't she the one from your flatpack aquarium idea?-- lurch, Aug 11 2020 sidekick - HOUSE-- po, Aug 11 2020 %^#1, I've put NZ in the spotlight. Death must have noticed we slipped under the sickle and put some extra effort in. We've gone back to level 3.-- wjt, Aug 12 2020 It was inevitable. What part of "pandemic" don't you humans understand ?
Clinging to a rock in the middle of the sea, far away from anywhere, works for a while- but not forever; unless of course you halt all incoming traffic. Indefinitely.
Ironically, your best protection is to wait for the virus to die out from the same cause that afflicts all immigrants to NZ- boredom. Then again, you might be able to lure it away with yoghurt- because yoghurt has something entirely absent in NZ- a living culture....
<Airline captain>
"Ladies and gentleman, we're starting our descent into Auckland. Please re-set your watches to the 1970's... "
</Airline captain>-- 8th of 7, Aug 12 2020 I want to know where the saying "He got clocked in the head" came from to describe some fellow getting hit in his head.
Did the originator just hit his head on one of [FarmerJohn]'s famous inventions? One wonders, if one is bored at work..-- blissmiss, Aug 12 2020 Further, the English idiomatic expression "to clean someone's clock" denotes the use of physical violence, specifically directed to the head in general and the face in particular.
"to clock" someone or something is to spot, notice or recognise same, as in "We clocked the unmarked cop car before they saw us".-- 8th of 7, Aug 12 2020 Perhaps the slang version comes from a clock having a "face"? Also, give us NZers a break. It's at LEAST 1985 here...-- neutrinos_shadow, Aug 12 2020 "Back to the Future" was just a movie, [neut] ...
Look.... England- National symbol: Lion. USA- National symbol: Eagle. Russia- National symbol: Bear. Spain- National symbol: Bull. Indonesia- National symbol: Komodo dragon. Canada- National symbol: Beaver (they were a bit far down the queue when it came to picking. The alternative was so much worse).
New Zealand ? The kiwi. A diminutive, flightless, nocturnal bird that eats small bugs and seeds, can neither fight nor run away, and tastes awful no matter how it's cooked. Even leaving off the ketchup doesn't help, and almost everything tastes better without ketchup...
The Universe is trying to tell you something, [neut].-- 8th of 7, Aug 12 2020 There is also the usage 'clocked out' as in working time has come to an end, the final punch card has been clipped. But. as [8th] wrote, Death does get seen which also seems apt.-- wjt, Aug 15 2020 random, halfbakery