The International

TITLE

The International

LOGLINE

In this mockumentary-style sitcom, a bright-eyed university student accepts an internship at an international airport. While she explores the ins and outs of its operations, she begins to see the truth: the airport’s biggest sponsor may also be its greatest enemy.

MAIN CAST

Fern - The airport operations intern. Her enthusiasm is refreshing to the worn-out airport personnel. She lost her father, a pilot, when she was young and is trying to carry on his legacy.

Donny - A duty manager and Fern’s boss as well as a sort of father figure to her. He’s gruff on the outside but has a soft heart and knows how to handle just about anything that comes his way.

Amber - Fern’s best friend at the airport. Because there aren’t many women in their field, they come together to support each other. Amber has recently been appointed to the wildlife department and is trying to navigate the new territory.

Carter - The big bad, but not at first. He’s the local operations manager for Empire Airlines and is a messenger for the mysterious decision-makers at corporate. Outwardly, he’s friendly. Inwardly, he’s getting to know people so he can manipulate them and often buys donuts to further his causes.

SUPPORTING CAST

Roger - A specialist who works in the wildlife department. He’s an avid hawk-catcher and knows all their tactics. He also isn’t afraid to pick up random snakes from the grass between the taxiways.

Clarice - Carter’s worst enemy and ex-wife. She represents a different airline and often interrupts or challenges him in airport meetings. She does not embarrass easily.

Mark - Mark works in the control tower and always answers the phone with, “It’s a beautiful day in the airport tower! What can I help you with?” Not much else is known about Mark.

PILOT EPISODE SYNOPSIS

It’s Fern’s first day at the international airport, and she could not be more excited to meet everyone. The whole time she oohs and ahs at everything. EVERYTHING. Even the triterator, where the lavatory fluid goes to be broken down, is exciting to her.

Donny is a little cold at first, but soon Fern breaks him down with her dad jokes. After giving her a tour of the airfield, during which she oohs and ahs at all the airplanes, they take a tour of the terminal.

Fern has been flying out of this airport her whole life, but now she sees it in a different light. While they’re in the terminal, they run into Carter just outside his office, which overlooks the whole airport. His airline, Empire Airlines, controls the comings and goings of every passenger aircraft out of the international airport. Fern finds that a little suspicious, which puts Carter on her radar. Carter offers them donuts and they leave.

Donny explains that Empire Airlines paid for a lot of the new construction at the airport, and that they’re an eight-hundred-pound gorilla that basically gets whatever it wants. Any deviation and the airline threatens to leave the airport, which would significantly reduce its funding to the point of disaster.

On their way out, they are approached by a panicked passenger whose bags were lost on their last flight. Donny and Fern explain that they don’t work for the airline, Soul Airways, but they might be able to get in touch with someone who does. After searching for half an hour, they finally find some airline representatives hiding on a jet bridge while they eat snacks. They explain that they’re alone and unsupervised today because their boss got a security violation on the airline’s first day at the airport.

The episode ends with a talking head from Fern, who is obviously delighted to begin working at the International Airport.