It is 1982, Cardi is 14 and just starting at a new school; an all-girls Catholic boarding school in Rome. But Cardi's situation is unique; she's been sent here for a different kind of education: she is a Roman goddess who needs to learn what it is to be a mortal teen-ager.

SYNOPSIS:

It is 1982, Cardea (Cardi to her friends) is 14 and just starting at a new school: an all-girls

Catholic boarding school in Rome. Unlike her fellow classmates, many of whose families live and work in the Middle East, Cardi's situation is unique. She's been sent to Saint Agnes of Montepulciano International (SAMI) for a different kind of education: she is a Roman goddess who needs to learn what it is to be a mortal teen-ager.

Cardi is better known among the Olympians as Cardea, the Goddess of Hinges and Thresholds.

The Powers That Be decided that hinges and thresholds are doing just fine without divine intervention and Cardea is reassigned as the Goddess of Teen-agers. However, since the idea of teen-agers is relatively recent (only existing for 60 years by 1982) none of the gods really know what being a teen entails.

Even goddesses need over site, and Cardi is no exception. Unknown to her, the Olympians have

sent Abeona, the protector of children leaving the home, to keep an eye on her. Abeona infiltrates SAMI as the newest house mother, Miss Hills (named for the 7 Hills of Rome).

Once at her new school, Cardi uses her mystical powers and wild imagination to transform all

sorts of alien things: roommates, nuns, dances, mean girls, an unfamiliar foreign city, and private school into entertaining fantasies that she can cope with. "When in Rome" continually breaks the fourth wall and changes tone and genre, entirely at Cardi's whim; and usually with Italian overtones.

This is a half hour comedy series for a YA audience. The seasons are laid out in chronological

order through the school year. Each one pits Cardi against familiar challenges for any high schooler, but with Cardi's unique perspective. All of the episodes are genre busting, using fantasy, and pop culture references that the audience's parents will appreciate and the audience will find absurd (no Smart Phones?!?! Shoulder pads?!?!).

The 1980s as a setting is for more than just nostalgia, big hair, and great music. Life was a little

less convenient then. Problems had to be solved with ingenuity rather than Google; just receiving a phone call involved a complex series of transfers, search parties and lots of shouting; spare time was spent hanging out with friends, listening to music, reading, and being creative - no video games or internet surfing.

Subject matter throughout the series varies from the light-hearted (cheerleader try outs re-

imagined into the gladiator's arena) to the very serious (a roommate's attempted overdose made easier to cope with by using a fantasy Fellini-esque sequence), and everything in between. As often as possible, the fantasy sequences are Italian themed. So, in addition to the gladiator reference above, a taxi ride through Rome becomes a surreal Mario Kart experience, an encounter with local boys haranguing Cardi & her friends becomes a Spaghetti Western, a trip to the all-boys school = a visit to Mount Olympus and the Roman Gods. Not forgetting Italian fashion, cars and food!

PILOT In the pilot Cardi introduces us to the world of SAMI. We are immediately invested in

Cardi, the beautiful campus, and her roommates (who act as the angel and devil on her shoulders), because Cardi speaks directly to us, shattering the fourth wall and establishing the rule-busting tone of the entire series.

We are right there with Cardi as she meets her roommates for the first time, then the prim

house mother, Miss Hills, and the stern headmistress, Sister Michaeline. Cardi's first introduction to the turbulent world of mortal teen-aged girls is when she and her roommates (Bonnie & Terri) make the age-old mistake of sitting at the Borgia's (our Mean Girls) table in the cafeteria. Cardi's fertile imagination transforms the confrontation with the Borgias into a classic Mob movie restaurant scene.

The Borgias continue to torment Cardi and her friends by putting beheaded stuffed toys in

their beds, ala The Godfather. Encouraged by Miss Hills, they retaliate with an elaborate plan mimicking heist movie tropes. They trick Natalie, queen of the Borgias, into eating Vegemite thinking it's Nutella. Her humiliation is witnessed by everyone, including the captain of the cheerleading squad & the only person Natalie cow-tows to. The pilot ends with Cardi triumphant and the appearance of another goddess, Discordia, in the guise of coach. As the girls walk toward their first day of class, they share their life lessons learned and Cardi shatters convention by looking through the show's credits to finally figure out Bonnie's name.

WHEN IN ROME