By Barak Goldman & Alison Betts
A sportswriter fights his fears, failures, and allergies when entering the world of dog shows to win back his wife.
Hour-long Series | Comedy, Drama
Think of Best in Show with an Aaron Sorkin flair.
Synopsis
For anyone who has ever loved a dog or wishes they had
Sam Connor is a down-on-his-luck sportswriter, who loses his job and his dog show-obsessed wife in one fell swoop. In a desperate bid to win her back, he jumps headfirst into the world of competitive dog showing, an industry he’s contemptuous of, and quite literally, allergic to.
After an impulse buy of a (barely) show-quality Great Pyrenees, he must combine forces with his terrifying neighbor, a tattooed gang-banger who trained dogs in prison (Time reveals that he was in prison for making and selling counterfeit designer purses,) his ex-wife’s eccentric Uncle Noah, and the capable and exasperated dog show veterinarian, Hannah Rosen, whose love for dogs is only marginally greater than her disdain for Sam. Along the way, Sam is also aided by the mysterious Cat Lady, a peculiar character who appears in an almost otherworldly capacity, dispensing advice (and possibly fleas) whenever Sam is at his lowest.
Within the backdrop of the little-known, exotic, and exciting world of dog showing, Unleashed is about a man on a quest toward his own redemption, who must learn to navigate a surprisingly high-stakes universe where grace, glitz, and glamor are underscored by politics, corruption, sabotage, jealousies, and resentments.
Sam’s successes are underscored by even bigger failures. Poignant scenes and heartbreaking losses make way for moments of comic relief, as human and canine foibles alike are paraded on larger and larger stages. Ultimately, Unleashed is about a lost man’s journey as he seeks a connection to the world, and finds redemption in the most unlikely place imaginable.
As the series progresses, the audience must ask itself, “Can you teach an old dog new tricks?”
Script
Bible
