Vic Ruggiero scrapes to fund The Slackers’ first album while dodging eviction, his dysfunctional family, and a once-in-a-lifetime invitation to tour with the band Rancid. Inspired by a true story.

SYNOPSIS:

The pilot episode, set in 1994 New York City, introduces Vic at 23, a talented multi-instrumentalist performing at The Speakeasy on Bleecker Street. That night, he meets Cassie, a (seemingly) Southern belle who ends up spending the night with him in his East Village loft. The morning after meeting Cassie, Vic faces eviction. His friend and bandmate Reno, disappointed in Vic's lack of preparation and responsibility, helps him move his belongings temporarily to Vic’s parents' house in the Bronx, where we meet his father (Pop) and mother (Debbie).

The Ruggiero family dynamic is tense, with Pop constantly on Vic’s case to abandon music and pursue a "real" career, while Debbie is more supportive of her son's artistic aspirations. Pop suggests alternative careers like the military or becoming a police officer, but Vic remains committed to music.

We’re introduced to the other members of The Slackers through brief flashback vignettes showing their day jobs: Reno in finance with a pregnant wife, Harry in a grocery store, Luis teaching drums, Mike in a bicycle shop, and Billy in a record store. The band rents a basement rehearsal space from their friend Otis, who owns the record store above. That’s where Vic decides to crash until he can find new sleeping arrangements.

Slowly over the episode it’s revealed that Debbie is having an affair with Vic’s former high school gym teacher, Jerry "The Quack" Quackenbush. Meanwhile, Cassie is exposed as actually being a Connecticut native and college friend of Vic's sister, Jess, rather than the New Orleans girl she pretended to be when they met.

The story takes several dramatic turns as Otis and Billy are arrested in a drug bust at the record store, forcing the band to find a new rehearsal space and replacement equipment for an important upcoming show at Wetlands.

Debbie begins experiencing mysterious health symptoms, which are later diagnosed as Multiple Sclerosis, though she initially keeps this from Vic and Pop. The pilot culminates at the Wetlands show, where multiple plot threads converge. The band performs brilliantly despite using borrowed equipment, and they receive an offer from Goon Records to make an album.

However, this moment of triumph is complicated by the appearance of Zach Lavine, a representative from the punk band Rancid, who offers some band members the opportunity to tour – a proposal that threatens to split up The Slackers.

Also at the show, Vic encounters his ex-girlfriend Frankie, now married to Kevin Cooke, whose father owns Goon Records. Their interaction suggests unresolved feelings between them.

The episode ends with a montage showing the family dealing with Debbie's MS diagnosis and her subsequent move out of the family home to live with The Quack, suggesting major changes ahead for everyone.

The episode is packed with original music from The Slackers – featuring lyrics that enhance the narrative. The series is based on a true story and captures gritty 1990s New York City, particularly the east coast ska scene.

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