AUTHOR: Sheetal R Patel MD
TITLE: D.O. Bruthas
PILOT
EMAIL: see2patel@gmail.com
Era Modern
Genre Comedy
Type 30 min, character driven, multi-camera, episodic
Tone NEW GIRL meets SCRUBS.
“One cannot always be a hero, but one can always be a man.” Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832)

Series Logline Four diverse lifelong friends who happen to be hard-and-fast 'ol school docs escape the humdrum of work and life through their brotherhood.

Episode Logline A diverse group of lifelong friends turned middle-aged, disillusioned doctors create a man-cave out of an apartment to rekindle their brotherhood and to escape their everyday struggles.

Overview Popular TV shows like “Seinfeld,” “Friends,” and “The Golden Girls” have a loyal following as people are vested in friendships. Likewise, this show will uplift people’s spirits with the simplicity of a ‘not-so-perfect but love you just the same’ friendship and a good laugh. Values that friendships are built upon will be highlighted. In the pilot, to speak the truth is easier said than done.

Summary Shankar ditches family time and rents an apartment on his OWN for him and the guys, without his wife finding out. He must feel young again and relive the good ‘ol days, but he needs to convince his friends to come along for the ride. His friends are drawn in - radiologist Tar from overworked eye strain, oncologist Manny from another patient hitting on him, and cardiologist Reggie from divorce related loneliness. On the way to the apartment, Manny kills his blind neighbor’s seeing eye cat and attempts a ‘switch-a-roo’ that goes wrong. Meanwhile, Tar plans to save Shankar from presumed ‘man-nappers,’ as why else would Shankar be at the undisclosed location? When they establish their “man-cave” apartment, Reggie finds a way to cope with divorce through their rekindled brotherhood. At last, their “man-cave” attracts a special visitor that nobody can refuse.

Episode Moments Shankar’s wife is about to catch Shankar lying when a “code black” (i.e., active shooter alert) initiates a lockdown trapping them both in the hospital. Reggie, unknowingly, is the suspected shooter. Another episode moment is when lonely Tar pretends that his pet goldfish is his significant other when asked by his Chief Wellness Officer, who oversees a preschool type of burnout prevention program. A final moment is when we learn that Mannny’s “switch-a-roo” of his elderly neighbor’s “seeing” eye cat leads to a “Silver Alert.”

Main Characters
SHANKAR KHAN (late 40s, think “Al Bundy”), witty, hardheaded, sarcastic, disillusioned, and smart as hell at interventional cardiology but not daily life, is a balding Indian American patriarch who enjoys old movies rather than going to work with morons. He is a free thinker - hates rules. It irks him when people try to impress but is bothered when others judge him. When his friends or family need him, he’s there, but his presence usually doesn’t measure up.
REGGIE CRUZ OR REGG (late 40s, think “Joey Tribbiani”), stout, comfortable in his own skin, good-natured, loyal Filipino American cardiologist. Don’t be fooled by his exterior appearance – MAGA hat, gun, tactical camo or preferred natural nude state – as he is oddly progressive. Though dim-witted, he has trust issues. He eats nothing from the sea, which is ironic given his background.
MANUEL RODRIGUEZ OR MANNY OR MAN-HOLE (late 40s), handsome, innocent, clumsy, lovable, who obsesses about things associated with his home state of Indiana. He is a first-generation Mexican American oncologist. Ladies often think that he is quite the catch – single, optimistic, sensitive, and in tune with his feminine side - until they find him too literal. He usually is the last to catch on to any jokes, but things usually work out for him.
TARELL JENKINS OR TAR (late 40s, think “George Costanza”), stingy, insecure, dishonest, good looking African American radiologist, who sometimes surprises his friends with overconfidence, as he is the “man of ideas.” He had a dysfunctional, wealthy upbringing but will light his path to get the respect that he deserves and bring his friends along. He cares a lot about how people view him.
PRITHI KHAN or PRI (40s), sassy, cute, smart, overweight Indian American who is a unique mixed breed of helicopter parent and helicopter wife. To his detriment, she has sheltered Shankar from the real world for so long that he would not know how to survive on his own.

Theme Typically, on TV, doctors are portrayed as heroes but not in this show. You can’t teach old dogs new tricks, especially to these guys working in the medical field - no big dramatic character arcs to stave off the high stakes.

World Our adventure mainly takes place inside of Shankar’s simple, open-concept apartment or “Man-cave” in Boystown, Chicago. Conflicts also happen at North Memorial Hospital where all