Wednesday, March 31, 2004
If you like shows such as Six Feet Under and Tru Calling then you will love this all new reality series! Check out the press release below and the synopsis' for the first two episodes!
It’s Ground-Breaking Real-Life Entertainment – Dig It?
A&E NETWORK PRESENTS THE NEW SERIES
FAMILY PLOTS
SERIES PREMIERE ON MONDAY, APRIL 19, 2004, 9PM EST/PST AND 8PM CST
NEW YORK, NY, MARCH 12, 2004 – It’s the perfect marriage of real-life warmth and stone-cold death. FAMILY PLOTS, A&E Network’s new series chronicling the curious comings and goings of a real Southern California family-run mortuary, premieres on Monday, April 19, 2004 at 9pm ET / PT and 8pm CT.
Here at San Diego’s Poway Bernardo Mortuary, the staff – an intriguing assortment of family members and other unusual characters -- compassionately console grieving families on a daily basis. Three beautiful sisters, their hot-blooded father, an exacting boss, a quirky funeral director, and a stream of anguished patrons, comprise the cast of this groundbreaking new real-life show.
The staff, argumentative but affectionate, features: Head Mortician Shonna, who brought the rest of her family into the business; Shonna’s younger sister Emily, Office Manager and Funeral Director in training; Shonna and Emily’s eldest sister Melissa, Assistant Funeral Director; Rick Sadler, who runs the operation; Funeral Assistant, body remover and amateur boxing trainer Chuck Wissmiller, who also happens to be Shonna, Melissa and Emily’s father; apprentice embalmer John; and Funeral Director David, whose obsessive-compulsive detail oriented behavior has earned him the nickname “Rainman.”
Nancy Dubuc and Robert Sharenow are the executive producers for A&E Network. FAMILY PLOTS is produced for A&E Network by Hybrid Films. Daniel Elias is the director and executive producer. David Houts is executive producer.
Now reaching more than 85 million homes, A&E Network brings viewers the Art of EntertainmentTM through a unique combination of three genres – The Art of Biography, The Art of Documentary, and The Art of Drama. A brand synonymous with excellence in television, A&E Network offers a diverse mix of programming ranging from critically acclaimed original series and movies, to innovative documentaries, to the Emmy Award-winning Biography® series, to dramatic specials, feature film presentations, and contemporary performances. Over the past five years, A&E Network holds the distinct record for the most Primetime Emmy nominations (73) for a basic cable network.
The 2004 primetime line-up includes several new series, featuring the premieres of: Airline, a behind-the-scenes look at the drama and the hilarity of commercial air travel with Southwest Airlines; Family Plots, a groundbreaking new reality show that takes a look at the personal and professional lives of the family members who run the Poway Bernardo Mortuary; and Growing Up Gotti, chronicling the life of Victoria Gotti, famous daughter of John Gotti, successful magazine editor, and mother of three teenage boys. The 2004 schedule also includes a host of topical and timely documentary specials, including Boomer Nation, In Harm’s Way, and a quarterly series titled Behind the Blockbusters, bringing viewers the true stories behind the topics of Hollywood’s biggest releases. Great drama also remains the heart of the A&E Network brand with upcoming original movies such as See Arnold Run, Hillary’s Choice, and Ike: Thunder In June.
The A&E Network website is located at www.aetv.com and the Biography® website is located at www.Biography.com. The Biography Club is located at www.BiographyClub.com.
FAMILY PLOTS - EPISODES 1 AND 2 SYNOPSIS
EPISODE 1 - BLOOD IS THICKER THAN WATER
Family Plots throws open the parlor door to the inner workings of San Diego’s, family-run Poway Bernardo Mortuary. Its staff is an intriguing assortment of family members and other unusual characters who compassionately console grieving families on a daily basis. Three beautiful sisters, their hot-blooded father, an exacting boss, a quirky funeral director, and a stream of anguished patrons, comprise the cast of this groundbreaking new real-life series. In this premier episode, set over one busy day, we meet the Wissmiller family and experience first hand not just their unique family dynamic and life affirming humor, but also the intensity and pathos of the world they work in.
Life, and death, for the staff at the mortuary is busier then ever when head embalmer, Shonna, suddenly realizes that they have less than 30 minutes to get a deceased’s body into it’s casket and to the funeral. While her father Chuck fights San Diego traffic to make the service on time, Shonna is rushing to dress and cosmetize another body for a family viewing at the mortuary - a perfectionist -- she wants to create the perfect lasting visual memory of their loved one.
At lunch the Wissmiller family dynamic is on full display when an argument flares between Chuck and his youngest daughter Emily, who takes it out on their pizza. As Shonna puts the finishing touches on the deceased and the staff prepares the mortuary for the family’s arrival, a blown circuit breaker threatens the impending wake.
At the end of the day, after one last embalming, the three sisters head out for a girls night on the town, while Chuck (after a rare apology to Emily) has to drive a group of young boxers he is training in the company van to the gym. But for the kids, there is a catch—they must share their seat in the back of the van with the body Chuck is taking to the airport for shipment.
EPISODE 2 - SMOKE AND MIRRORS
The staff of the Poway Bernardo Mortuary picks the wrong day to try to stop smoking on a cash bet, when embalmer Shonna gets one of the most challenging reconstruction cases of her career – a woman who died at the wheel of her car in a horrific crash.
The family of the deceased is desperate to be able to view their mother and to say goodbye. The pressure and tension is on the gang to try to make the deceased look good enough for her family to see her one last time. The woman has broken every bone in her body, and the risk is that although the family thinks they’re prepared, they could actually be traumatized for life by seeing their grandmother in this state. Shonna is driven by her professionalism and empathy to do the best job she can in putting the woman back together, but she’s tortured by not being able to make her perfect. As the intense stress fuels the gang’s desire to smoke, the nicotine starts to call them back one at a time…
It’s Ground-Breaking Real-Life Entertainment – Dig It?
A&E NETWORK PRESENTS THE NEW SERIES
FAMILY PLOTS
SERIES PREMIERE ON MONDAY, APRIL 19, 2004, 9PM EST/PST AND 8PM CST
NEW YORK, NY, MARCH 12, 2004 – It’s the perfect marriage of real-life warmth and stone-cold death. FAMILY PLOTS, A&E Network’s new series chronicling the curious comings and goings of a real Southern California family-run mortuary, premieres on Monday, April 19, 2004 at 9pm ET / PT and 8pm CT.
Here at San Diego’s Poway Bernardo Mortuary, the staff – an intriguing assortment of family members and other unusual characters -- compassionately console grieving families on a daily basis. Three beautiful sisters, their hot-blooded father, an exacting boss, a quirky funeral director, and a stream of anguished patrons, comprise the cast of this groundbreaking new real-life show.
The staff, argumentative but affectionate, features: Head Mortician Shonna, who brought the rest of her family into the business; Shonna’s younger sister Emily, Office Manager and Funeral Director in training; Shonna and Emily’s eldest sister Melissa, Assistant Funeral Director; Rick Sadler, who runs the operation; Funeral Assistant, body remover and amateur boxing trainer Chuck Wissmiller, who also happens to be Shonna, Melissa and Emily’s father; apprentice embalmer John; and Funeral Director David, whose obsessive-compulsive detail oriented behavior has earned him the nickname “Rainman.”
Nancy Dubuc and Robert Sharenow are the executive producers for A&E Network. FAMILY PLOTS is produced for A&E Network by Hybrid Films. Daniel Elias is the director and executive producer. David Houts is executive producer.
Now reaching more than 85 million homes, A&E Network brings viewers the Art of EntertainmentTM through a unique combination of three genres – The Art of Biography, The Art of Documentary, and The Art of Drama. A brand synonymous with excellence in television, A&E Network offers a diverse mix of programming ranging from critically acclaimed original series and movies, to innovative documentaries, to the Emmy Award-winning Biography® series, to dramatic specials, feature film presentations, and contemporary performances. Over the past five years, A&E Network holds the distinct record for the most Primetime Emmy nominations (73) for a basic cable network.
The 2004 primetime line-up includes several new series, featuring the premieres of: Airline, a behind-the-scenes look at the drama and the hilarity of commercial air travel with Southwest Airlines; Family Plots, a groundbreaking new reality show that takes a look at the personal and professional lives of the family members who run the Poway Bernardo Mortuary; and Growing Up Gotti, chronicling the life of Victoria Gotti, famous daughter of John Gotti, successful magazine editor, and mother of three teenage boys. The 2004 schedule also includes a host of topical and timely documentary specials, including Boomer Nation, In Harm’s Way, and a quarterly series titled Behind the Blockbusters, bringing viewers the true stories behind the topics of Hollywood’s biggest releases. Great drama also remains the heart of the A&E Network brand with upcoming original movies such as See Arnold Run, Hillary’s Choice, and Ike: Thunder In June.
The A&E Network website is located at www.aetv.com and the Biography® website is located at www.Biography.com. The Biography Club is located at www.BiographyClub.com.
FAMILY PLOTS - EPISODES 1 AND 2 SYNOPSIS
EPISODE 1 - BLOOD IS THICKER THAN WATER
Family Plots throws open the parlor door to the inner workings of San Diego’s, family-run Poway Bernardo Mortuary. Its staff is an intriguing assortment of family members and other unusual characters who compassionately console grieving families on a daily basis. Three beautiful sisters, their hot-blooded father, an exacting boss, a quirky funeral director, and a stream of anguished patrons, comprise the cast of this groundbreaking new real-life series. In this premier episode, set over one busy day, we meet the Wissmiller family and experience first hand not just their unique family dynamic and life affirming humor, but also the intensity and pathos of the world they work in.
Life, and death, for the staff at the mortuary is busier then ever when head embalmer, Shonna, suddenly realizes that they have less than 30 minutes to get a deceased’s body into it’s casket and to the funeral. While her father Chuck fights San Diego traffic to make the service on time, Shonna is rushing to dress and cosmetize another body for a family viewing at the mortuary - a perfectionist -- she wants to create the perfect lasting visual memory of their loved one.
At lunch the Wissmiller family dynamic is on full display when an argument flares between Chuck and his youngest daughter Emily, who takes it out on their pizza. As Shonna puts the finishing touches on the deceased and the staff prepares the mortuary for the family’s arrival, a blown circuit breaker threatens the impending wake.
At the end of the day, after one last embalming, the three sisters head out for a girls night on the town, while Chuck (after a rare apology to Emily) has to drive a group of young boxers he is training in the company van to the gym. But for the kids, there is a catch—they must share their seat in the back of the van with the body Chuck is taking to the airport for shipment.
EPISODE 2 - SMOKE AND MIRRORS
The staff of the Poway Bernardo Mortuary picks the wrong day to try to stop smoking on a cash bet, when embalmer Shonna gets one of the most challenging reconstruction cases of her career – a woman who died at the wheel of her car in a horrific crash.
The family of the deceased is desperate to be able to view their mother and to say goodbye. The pressure and tension is on the gang to try to make the deceased look good enough for her family to see her one last time. The woman has broken every bone in her body, and the risk is that although the family thinks they’re prepared, they could actually be traumatized for life by seeing their grandmother in this state. Shonna is driven by her professionalism and empathy to do the best job she can in putting the woman back together, but she’s tortured by not being able to make her perfect. As the intense stress fuels the gang’s desire to smoke, the nicotine starts to call them back one at a time…
Saturday, March 06, 2004
Hey everyone! Long time no update. Well, we haven't disappeared, so no worries there ;) We're going to be back soon, bigger and better than ever! We're switching everything over to our new domain, and we'll have many more features in store, so keep checking back! Any info you'd like to share, or if you need to ask us a question, don't hesitate to use the "Contact Us" link to your left, we'll get back to ya as soon as we can! :)
