SYNOPSIS:

"This is Us" meets "Shameless" as they stumble around "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest"

OVERVIEW

Mixed Nuts is the story of Michael O’Shea (40), a successful entrepreneur whose life is turned inside out when he loses all his hard earned fortune in the DotCom bubble burst in 2001. Born and raised in a rough area of Boston, Michael thinks he knows the streets; he is in for a rude awakening.

No where to go, broke and confused, he ends up in the School Street Shelter in Cambridge, Ma (his hometown). The shelter brings him far closer to reality than he ever imagined, bringing obscurity full on. He meets a oddball collection of characters; the Mixed Nuts. The story picks up from 9/11 in a day to remember or forget, which BTW is Michael's birthday. This may be a extraordinary day in history, however, it may just be another day in the life for Michael and the Mixed Nuts.

In attempts to survive, and even rally out of this, Michael is confronted with mental illness, alcoholism, and drug addiction (not just his own), in situations that can sometimes be funny.

PILOT SYNOPSIS

The series depicts the Mixed Nuts, a gaggle of characters, centered around Michael (Mickey) O’Shea, a Dot Com Entrepreneurial washout of the 2001 bubble burst.

While they spend their days out on the streets they share the same home at night, The School Street Shelter, AKA the Ritz Carlton of shelters. The shelter is a dry shelter, no booze , no drugs; even still the Mixed Nuts figure out how to feed a variety of addictions.

The pilot opens on the eve of 9/11 and continues through the following day, which by coincidence is Michael's birthday. The episode intertwines through back stories of Michael's life with his twin brother Jerry, his Mom, Dad and little sister Jeanie.

We find out that Michael’s Dad killed his Mom on this day 30 years ago, changing his life as well as his siblings forever. This reality, where Michael has been, the how and to some extent, the why he ended up here is presented here in this episode.

As the day unfolds the Mixed Nuts go about their run of the mill existence only disturbed by the events unfolding in NYC and the Pentagon.

The Mixed Nuts deal or not deal with the events with weird interactions, alcohol, and mayhem. A tense friendship between Michael and Richard comes to a violent head. Alyson, Claudia and Ursula cause some trouble in a department store to just stay entertained. Michael and Nikki may be forming a relationship of misery loves company.

The pilot winds down with Ursula being too drunk to get back in the shelter with Alyson and Claudia baby-sitting her. Michael and Nikki walking back towards the shelter are presented with a comfortable and inviting bar. The garage door rolled down invites them in like an warm yet insidious friend, drunk Michael knows he can't go back to the shelter. Faced with a decision both Michael and Nikki stand and ...

... The real journey begins

MIXEDNUTS - PILOT (BIRTHDAY BOY)