After a painful breakup, Samir decides to write a novel about a man wrongly convicted on death row, hoping the ambitious project will win back his ex, but as he dives deeper into the story, he begins to question his motives.
Body on the green
SUMMARY
FORMAT
HALF HOUR
GENRE
COMEDY/DRAMA
BUDGET
LOW - MID
EPISODES
10
SYNOPSIS
Samir’s life is stuck on repeat. He wakes up, drags himself to his retail job at a furniture store where his boss is about as competent as a mannequin, spends his free time running an Etsy shop full of cliché wooden signs, and calls himself a writer—even though the only thing he’s written lately is a grocery list. His evenings consist of poorly planned dates with his girlfriend, Carol, who clearly has better things to do. But when Carol dumps him, Samir’s world falls apart, and he’s determined to get her back at any cost. But how?
Then, in a stroke of luck (aka instagram stalking), Samir stumbles upon one of Carol’s Instagram stories about a man on death row who was wrongly convicted. Suddenly, Samir’s big idea hits: reinvent himself as the world’s most sophisticated activist and write a novel about Malef Khan, the innocent man on death row. This idea leads him to Pluto, California…
Pluto is a quirky little town still reeling from a decade-old child murder. Malef, the father of the victim, sits on death row, and the town is anxiously waiting for his execution to give them some sense of closure. Samir rolls into town, eager to begin his personal transformation, but a young woman named Ava immediately turns him away, warning him to stay out of the case. But when a mysterious call from a country club owner drags him back to Pluto, Samir’s accidentally thrown into a world of deep secrets, a complicated romance, and the glamorous (and very shady) world of the country club.
As Samir stumbles through it all, he’s surrounded by a colorful cast of characters. He starts falling for Ava, a whirlwind of emotions and sarcasm, weighed down by the messiness of life. His lesbian best friend and roommate is stuck in a doomed romance and still figuring out how to speak up for herself. His sister, who supports Samir financially, is trapped in a relationship with a man-child who couldn’t even figure out how to boil water. And the country club owner? Well, let’s just say he’s hiding enough secrets to fill a true-crime podcast series.
Through Samir’s misguided efforts to document the Malef Khan case to impress his ex, he starts to question what true justice is, whether he can find true love, and whether he can ever amount to something real.
Rishi varma
Creator
Rishi Varma is a playwright, film/tv writer, actor, and theatre graduate from Northwestern University. Passionate about new work, he's written a number of full length plays, some of which have had staged readings in NYC. He was also the head writer on Project NU, a documentary theatre piece. Here, he led a writer’s room of five and conducted interviews with a variety of different types of people that culminated in a fully realized production. When not writing or acting, Rishi can be found teaching scuba diving or working as a full time dog dad!
STYLE AND TONE
Body on the Green is a show that blends dark comedy with profound social commentary. The humor is biting and irreverent, rooted in the awkwardness of modern-day life and the absurdity of online activism. But it’s also a show with real heart, as the characters navigate complex, messy lives—figuring out what it means to love, find true justice, and carve out a place in a society that seems indifferent to their struggles.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA
San Francisco is busy, beautiful, and foggy—basically a perfect metaphor for this show. Unlike Friends, though, Samir and Francie’s apartment is more of a "cozy shoebox" situation, thanks to their low-paying jobs in a city where rent prices could give anyone a panic attack.
In San Francisco, unlike Pluto, they’re just two small dots in an ocean of faces, most of whom we’ll never meet (thankfully, because that’s a lot of people to keep track of). The city features stunning architecture and towering highrises against abject poverty in every corner. Somewhere in the middle, our characters try to hold their own, doing their best not to get lost in the fog…
A Tale of Two Cities
PLUTO, CA
Just half an hour outside of San Francisco lies the (entirely fictional) town of Pluto. It’s your classic suburban sprawl, made even more stereotypical by the fact that a good chunk of the show takes place at a country club. Naturally, it’s got gates—because they couldn’t possibly risk letting all that wealth escape, right?
The town around the club is spread out, but everyone knows everyone, for better or worse. Pluto is haunted by the memory of a murder, and you can feel it everywhere. Whether it’s characters still grappling with the trauma or others desperately trying to pretend it never happened, the shadow of that crime hangs over the whole community.
This is a MURDER MYSTERY.
This is a ROMANCE.
This is a story for OUR TIME.
Social Media/Performative Activism:
Justice and Injustice:
Struggles of Being Young in 2025:
THEMES
Love and Relationships:
Money:
This is a COMEDY.
A commentary on how today's young people often use social media to showcase their beliefs, sometimes without fully understanding the issues at hand.
Through Samir’s investigation of the murder case, the show explores the complexities of truth, guilt, and justice—sometimes, doing the right thing isn’t as easy as it seems.
From crushing student debt to dead-end jobs and complicated relationships, the show taps into the universal feeling of being a millennial/Gen Z-er trying to figure it all out.
Samir’s quest for love becomes more than just a pursuit to get his ex back. It evolves into a deeper understanding of what it means to love and be loved, and what happens when the pursuit of love turns into self-deception.
The grizzly murder takes place at the centerpiece of extravagant wealth: a suburban country club. Contrast that with most of our characters: living paycheck to paycheck in a small urban apartment. The show explores what life is like right outside wealth, as well as the absurdity, chaos, and danger that lurks beneath it.
THIS IS A SHOW ABOUT CONTRAST
Town vs City
Color vs Greys
Humor vs Tragedy
Wealth vs Poverty
Instagram Posts vs Novels
APPEALS TO FANS OF
CHARACTERS
CAROL
Samir’s ex girlfriend.
MAIN RECURRING CHARACTERS
MALEF KHAN
Convicted of murdering his son. On death row.
JERRY
Samir’s boss at the furniture store.
Colin
Nithya’s moronic frat boyfriend.
Target Audience
College or post-college adults who are beginning their journeys and would relate to characters trying to make their mark on the world
YOUNG POST-COLLEGE
People who are active on social media/with social justice issues who may relate to the humor and commentary on it
CHRONICALLY ONLINE
Will do well with people who love comedies with serious undertones. This show is funny but deals with dark topics such as child murder and death row.
Dark humor lovers
MOODBOARD
EPISODE BREAKDOWNS
Future Seasons
Season 1 comes to a satisfying close but leaves enough threads dangling to keep things intriguing for future seasons. With the foundation laid, there’s a clear path for exploring a new case as Samir deepens his activism, tackling more complex issues while continuing to question his own motivations. The fallout from Samir final choice will bring even more tension, as it’s clear that decision isn’t something he can easily walk away from. And the cover-up, which has already started to show its cracks, goes much deeper than Samir ever imagined, reaching all the way to the top. The stakes will only get higher as he squares off with powerful forces, confronting the very system he’s been trying to expose.
Samir and Ava’s relationship, still in its early stages, promises plenty of emotional rollercoasters. They’ve only begun to scratch the surface of their shared history, and as they navigate their way forward, they’ll have to face painful truths about themselves and each other. It’s clear that this won’t be a smooth ride, but it will be a journey full of growth, healing, and possibly heartbreak.
Meanwhile, Francie and Milana’s story is far from over. With their relationship still in flux, will they push through the challenges or decide to go their separate ways? The tension between them leaves plenty of space for exploration, as both characters confront their own personal struggles and dreams.
Nithya’s engagement to Colin continues to add layers of complexity to her life. After making the difficult decision to stay with him, she finds herself grappling with the consequences of that choice. It’s a relationship full of contradictions, and the road ahead is filled with tough choices that will shape her future in unexpected ways.
As for Bill, recovering from a heart attack, his struggle isn’t just physical—it’s emotional. Trying to regain control of his life after a traumatic event, his journey will be one of redemption, but also of self-forgiveness, as he comes to terms with the past and figures out what kind of person he wants to be moving forward.
With all of these storylines intertwining, there's still so much drama to explore. The world these characters inhabit is complex, filled with hidden secrets, personal demons, and the constant clash between past mistakes and future possibilities. The stage is set for bigger challenges, and the road ahead promises to be just as messy, compelling, and unpredictable as the characters themselves.
CONTACT
Scott Swiontek, Manager
Swiontek Entertainment
email: info@swiontekent.com
Download pilot
Website Pitch Deck designed and crafted by Rishi Varma