A divorced pastor becomes a topless bartender in the city's hottest gay bar. True story.

SYNOPSIS:

[Bronx is a streaming network, serialized dark comedy series, taking place at the intersection of LGBTQ and conservative religion… then given an unapologetic outlet on a standup comedy stage in the 90s]

Welcome to Nashville, Tennessee. It’s 1996 in the heart of the Bible Belt

It’s the time of psychedelic fanny packs, frosted hairstyles and TLC’s Waterfalls blaring from the fluffy orange headphones of a Discman. During the week it’s Saved By The Bell on a 34” Panasonic tube television... but Sunday’s belong to Rev. Billy Graham.

It’s a wonderful time to be alive… a wonderful time for one man to destroy the only life he’s ever known. This is a story all about how a life got flipped, turned upside down…

Until recently Adam Charlton was happily married to his high school sweetheart and the beloved youth pastor at Jubilee Church. One fateful day, Adam’s perfect life come crashing down around him, when he takes a glimpse in the mirror and doesn't recognize his own face. His inner demons have become too much for him… and he walks out on his wife and church.

Like a hurt, lost and blinded fool Adam gets up at an open mic comedy night where serendipity, in the form of a familiar church matriarch, steers him towards a job at the wildest gay bar in town: Bronx

To those who grew up in the shelter of the suburbs, Bronx is a place of folklore filled with mythical nocturnal creatures; manly Sirens who lure many a seaman into departing with fists-full of pink dollars for the promise of a fantasy… chiselled bodies dancing… flaming bottles flaring… and that’s just a Monday.

Paradoxically, for the straight bartenders willing to play the game, Bronx is the best kept heterosexual secret in town. If you walk by every night, talking sweet and looking fine, it gets kind of hectic inside… it’s a sweet, sweet fantasy baby.

Bronx is the excitement of a gay Magic Mike mashed with the dark reality of a Studio 54… as experienced by a self-destructive ‘church boy’… and then unpacked in honest and raw stand-up comedy sets. It’s a rollercoaster through two polarized worlds… two worlds that should never meet… but did.

Through flashbacks we dive into vulnerable back-stories of our protagonist and supporting characters. We will shine a spotlight on landmark events that have set the stage for the hero’s journey. We will pull back the curtain on topics like ‘church sanctioned virginity’… ‘infidelity and betrayal’ and the long-perpetuated church rhetoric concerning oiled men with six-packs and glitter hot-pants.

Following Adam’s interactions with a kaleidoscope of characters and an unlikely mentor, we will see traditional religion tested by fire, and wrestle with who our villain truly is. In our anti-hero’s attempt to self-destruct… his rock-bottom will become the perfect foundation for his rebirth and audiences will witness unorthodox redemption rising from the ashes.

The Bronx is a heartbreakingly hilarious ‘fish out of water’ tale in a climate of bigotry, mass religion and extremism. Not just because these two worlds are on either side of an age-old war… but because Bronx is a fairytale of true understanding and acceptance under improbable circumstances.

As audiences are taken on this journey, they will experience the challenges of forgiveness, identity, tolerance and rebirth... all within the spotlight on one of the best times in the 20th century for fashion, culture, music and gay pride… and given an unapologetically therapeutic stand-up comedy voice.

EPISODE FORMAT

Each episode of Bronx is utterly unique… as it will not only be title by an iconic 90’s song, but will include the song’s lyrics and visuals sewn into the dialogue and narrative. Just like those 90s mix tapes that scored the soundtrack of our lives... the break-up songs or karaoke road trips where memories were made… Bronx will sweep audiences up in a wave of nostalgia through every episode.

CLICK to watch 'proof of concept' scene: