Can I Talk to You for a Second? Series bible

Can I Talk to You for a Second? Get emotionally swole. Created By Jason Burke O’Neil Christopher Amir Farhang
logline. Two beat ass personal trainers have 30 days to save their shoddy, LA gym from a Korean crime syndicate or risk losing everything. And we do mean everything.
It’s “Cheers” in a gym but with real world problems.
It’s also “Dave” in a gym but with repressed Boomer* emotions. *no actual Boomers will be cast in this television show
Okay maybe it’s more like if “Eastbound and Down” sold fake steroids to “The Bear” then they settled it “Eastern Promises” style in a public restroom.
season engine. Who knew not paying property taxes for three years meant losing the most important thing in the world? Everyone. Fucking everyone knows that. Except O'Neil. And we're talking about the gym, by the way. Not his daughter. Sure, raising $170 racks in 30 days seems Sisyphean. But O'Neil and Jason will do whatever it takes to protect their testosterone palace. Eventually, through the beauty of storytelling, this purely selfish endeavor transforms into something more: a realization that the gym represents physical and emotional growth for its community. But for our two broken heroes, it's also been a distraction from their chaotic personal lives. Now, with everything in jeopardy, they're forced to face hard truths about family, friendship and what exactly constitutes a "write-off." Jason learns his ex-wife is pregnant with his child. Can the chance to surpass his failed father (it’ll be Tim Robbins btw) inspire change? Has O'Neil's rampant neglect finally hit rock bottom, or simply become a more jagged comfort zone? Ahead lies vast potential for personal and professional healing. Also, in equal parts, potential for abject fuckery and supplement-fueled max gains. We'd like to think it's both.
tone. Convention would have us open by saying, "CITTYFAS is a tasteful approach to single-camera narrative." That’s the kinda dirty talk that gets you reallll fired up to make yet another piece of tasteful TV slop. Let's be honest, though. That's not why we're here. Yeah, sure, there'll be tasteful components, but we gotta get raw and nasty with it. Dark. Comedic. Honest. And a little painful. Because when we're in pain, we get angry. Then we lose the ability to see life through the eyes of people we've hurt and who've hurt us. There goes that much-needed empathy. But that's where the funny lives. While we're trudging through the muck of self-loathing and tiptoeing down that road to redemption. It allows our audience to interpret aspects as they see fit. To find stories that feel grounded, relatable and found rather than shot. And when we pull that off? Boy oh boy, will we be cooking with gas. Because showing the folly of man in an environment everyone relates to, the gym, means we've created human beings to root for. Not just characters.
the gym. Our gym is our home. It’s the gravitational center of the entire show, both literally and emotionally. A grounding force for our family of characters. A vibrant, kinetic, non-traditional atmosphere. It feels alive. Lived-in. Familiar. There’s a palpable patina on everything. It’s got a stank to it. It’s fucking loud. Also dangerous. Unless you know your way around the place. It’s their haven from the outside world, where life’s disappointments are softened by bad jokes, bulging biceps and socially acceptable objectification. And they wouldn’t have it any other way.
the crew.
the crew. Jason Boyco. This 44-year-old Peter Pan has an unquenchable lust for approval. From anyone, all the time. He's overshared himself into friendship exile more times than he can count. But only child neediness with no father figure is a high-octane personality cocktail. Par for the course. He’s just never felt worthy enough for love. His mother’s wounds persist in him. The victim and her son. And the thing about victims is they lash out. Even at the ones they care about most, which usually leaves O'Neil on the receiving end. But Jason, he’s got that dawg in ‘em. He’ll surprise ya. Almost outta nowhere, he becomes the catalyst for the gym’s survival. After finding out he’s going to become a father, a fire is lit. It’s tiny. More of a pilot light, but it burns. His newfound purpose: save the only family he's ever truly had. Until, you know, his son is born.
the crew. O’Neil Christopher. Here we have a 50-year-old man hellbent on proving to his ex-wife that he never needed her all along, while neglecting the two things in his life that might actually convince her he's right. This living, breathing paradox is our boy, Big O. Those two things being his daughter, Jade, and the gym. Sadly, to O'Neil, they represent a zero-sum game. In his head, they both can't get the attention they deserve without the other being sacrificed. Guess which one gets their heart broken more often than not. Hint: gyms aren't alive. The problem lies in his inability to accept help. Some stubborn Gen X bullshit. "Ain't no man ever get anywhere in life if he ain't get there himself." A direct quote. Already carved into his headstone. But he ain't all bad. He is the reason for the gym. For the community it created. For the love and friendship founded within those four tiny walls. He's also the reason for its impending collapse. A man at the end of his rope with his career, his friends, his daughter. This very much feels like his last chance to save it all before taking the proverbial slow walk into the Pacific alone.
the crew. Stacy Parker. If O'Neil gets what's coming to him in Stacy's lifetime, she will die a happy woman. She damn well makes sure she's present for every possible opportunity for said comeuppance. That man is going down and she is going to bear witness. But not before he finally shows the fuck up for their girl. Jade. At the end of the day, O'Neil can be the brokest, meanest, filthiest fucking loser, but as long as he's a good father, he's done his job in Stacy's eyes. It ain't asking much. And there's a tiny part of her that still cares about O. When you love someone deeply, you always kind of love them. Stacy will be the reason O'Neil breaks or rebuilds. But don't get it twisted, she ain't no softie. She's actually kind of hood as fuck. Unafraid of shit and holding a brown belt in BJJ. O taught her. So if shit gets real, she's in the mix. And it will. And she will be.
the crew. Sarah Drake. A silver-spooned product of a John Hughes Chicago suburb, though you'd never know it. She hides that shit behind a thin veil of "I'm chill, I promise" vibes, desperately wanting to hang with the common folk. Be seen as one of the gals. And she can pull it off, until her two worlds collide and she's forced to choose. Her family never approved of Jason, in any respect, so she acted out. Pushed him away. Made him feel like he destroyed the relationship. She's an indecisive control freak. Everything is gravy until a decision has to be made under duress. Yikes. Watch out. This one might fucking explode. Control makes her feel safe. Thinking things through makes her feel safe. Strip both away and she's a lost little girl with nowhere to turn. But we’re in the Sarah/Jason second act. They both have a chance to play it honestly and fairly. They say having a baby won’t save a broken relationship, but it could rebuild one that was nuked beyond recognition. The story needs them. Her. She is the agent of change for Jason. Without her in his life, the gym isn’t saved, his mental health collapses and our story inevitably becomes a tragic one.
the crew. Jade Christopher. Is it so fucking hard to ask your dad to be a dad? Speaking from the experience as the bastard son of Stuart, yes, yes it is. Sometimes, they just can’t commit to the commitment. And it’s us kids that bear the weight of that neglect. This sums up Jade's 17 years on Earth to date. Battling against a constant barrage of disappointment, resentment and denial when it comes to her father, O’Neil. The pain she endures when O lets her down reverberates throughout our world. All the women in O’Neil’s orbit grow to hate him more once they meet Jade and experience her pain through osmosis. They all know that Jade represents the last hope for O’Neil to experience a full and selfless life. She’s it. The last person to still believe he can step outside of his egoic pursuits long enough to realize he’s on the verge of losing that last genuine love he may ever experience. Her coping mechanism for all this heartbreak is a relentless drive to succeed at the highest athletic level. As a top 15 D1 prospect, she’s learned to channel all her pain, anger and sadness into training. She will push her body to the brink of falling apart in order to avoid sitting with her actual emotions.
the crew. Meredith Ruiz. As the only girl in a sea of five hyper-macho, hyper-athletic brothers, Meredith learned early that toughness wasn't just a personality trait. It was a survival tactic. She grew to rebel hard against her upbringing, lashing out at any bro daring enough to give her an ounce of shit. So becoming a physical therapist with a focus in strength training is what one would call a paradox. I think. I dunno, didn't check my references. Fortunately, Meredith lands at O-Star justtttt as it hits rock bottom. Enrollment is down. Toxicity is peaking. Vibes are atrocious. She's about to march the fuck out on day one when hope appears in the form of the gym owner's 17-year-old soccer phenom daughter. Jade. The little sister she never had. Their bond sparks something cathartic in Meredith and quietly facilitates O'Neil's growth as well. She becomes the only person who can get through to Jade, which forces O'Neil to pay attention. He learns to communicate with his daughter on a level he never has before. Like Jason, Meredith is one of the strong women in his life he must finally learn to respect, and eventually love. As that relationship deepens, her relationship with men in general begins to heal.
the crew. Evan Lee. Man, this dude ain’t really cut out for the gangster lifestyle. Yet, he’s made it his life’s mission to make the Lee family a Korean Killers powerhouse to be reckoned with. The thing is, no one gives a shit. Not his father. Not the KK organization. Not anyone but him. Quite the chip on Ev’s shoulder. Somebody hug this man for the love of God. Nevertheless, Evan is ruthless in his pursuit of a successful criminal enterprise. And with his sights set on O’Neil and the gym, neither stands a chance of surviving. At least not in season 1. He is our true antagonist and will eventually be the catalyst for O’Neil’s undoing. He will strip away the one thing O’Neil believes defines him. Evan almost represents everything O’Neil hates about himself but refuses to acknowledge. His shadow.
the crew. The Gym Rats. These folks are the heart of O-Star Fitness & Dojo. Sure, they're the bar flies in Cheers. But with a whole lotta substance, conflict and purpose. They help O'Neil and Jason realize that the gym is so much more than just a gym. That it represents love and friendship and human connection. Things both of these knuckleheads have spent the better part of their adult lives taking for granted. These rats go above and beyond to save their ill-fated muscle mansion. Ride or die doesn't begin to cover it. It is this dedication, this stubborn, beautiful, borderline irrational dedication, that eventually unlocks something deep inside Jason. It becomes a cornerstone of his pilgrimage towards a selfless existence. One that flat out wouldn't be possible if it weren't for this lovable, ragtag pack of strays.
attached talent. DEONDRAY GOSSFIELD DIRECTOR / SHOWRUNNER QUINCY LENEAR GOSSFIELD DIRECTOR / SHOWRUNNER VIC MENSA MUSIC + THE ROLE OF BLACK CHRIS
directors / showrunners. The Gossfields. Deondray Gossfield and Quincy LeNear Gossfield are a married director duo with over two decades of experience. They broke through with the GLAAD Award-winning "The DL Chronicles," and went on to direct, then eventually take on producing-director roles overseeing the full arc and tone of Showtime's "The Chi." Their work has always centered on tight-knit ensembles balancing humor with real emotional stakes, the two principal themes of our show.
original music + “Black Chris.” Vic Mensa. Rapper, singer, songwriter, producer, and activist, Vic has written for and collaborated with some of the biggest names in the industry: Kanye West, Jay-Z, Pharrell, Chance the Rapper, and Skrillex. His evolution as an artist and outspoken voice of his generation has reached new heights over the last year, connecting with millions of fans. Vic is excited to come on board to produce original music for "Can I Talk to You for a Second?" as well as take on the role of our most pivotal mentor character, "Black Chris."
season 1
season 1. Pilot: “A Hundo Percent Owner” We drop right into this piss-poor excuse for a small business, O-Star's Fitness & Dojo. Paint's peeling. Equipment's breaking. People are getting hurt. But the regulars can't live without it. But soon they might have to. Due to a slew of unpaid taxes, the gym is being foreclosed on. Thirty days' notice. Yikes. O'Neil scrambles, begging for cash wherever he can find it, all while the Lee family, Evan and Ming, move to seize the opportunity with an indecent proposal of their own. Jason? He's quietly drowning. About to become a surprise father, on the verge of losing his job, and nursing a secret he hasn't admitted to anyone: he's a coward. Two men. Same gym. One glorious free fall.
season 1. Ep 2: Grifters Anonymous Jason goes full "I’m a good guy now, let's parent together" mode. Shows up to Sarah's work with flowers and breakfast. Chivalrous bastard. Then another opportunity presents itself: he convinces her boss to let him train his son for the Special Olympics. At an exorbitant rate. Very altruistic, until he discovers the young man is faking a disability for a shot at any Olympic gold. O'Neil, inspired by Jason's gumption, puts on the Father of the Year act and descends upon his daughter's elite LA private school for the grift of the century. The gym members cook up a slightly more above board plan for an old school sexy car wash to drive up enrollment. Everyone's running a play. Not a single person has thought it through.
season 1. Ep 3: Pyramid Scheme Dream Team Dreamy before and after shots fade to and fro as we watch a rom-com esque transformation take place inside Jason’s home. It’s "Please move back in" bait for Sarah. Over hell or high water, he’s becoming a family. And he almost pulled it off too. Until Jason blows the cover on her boss’ son’s unethical gold medal quest. Immediate termination. Ooopsy. O’Neil’s private school grift is fully actualized when he holds a seminar in the gym presenting what is very obviously a pyramid scheme for his youth athlete training program. Like, he ain’t hiding shit. But before he fully self-sabotages, the plan gets blown to smithereens when Stacey drives her car, still wet from the enrollment car wash, directly into the gym. An epic, public dressing down of O’Neil promptly ensues.
season 1. Ep 4: Bloodsport Schmudsport O'Neil's obsession with the cinematic masterpiece "Bloodsport" has reached a fever pitch. He plans a Kumite-style BJJ tournament as a fundraiser to save the gym. And by "fundraiser" we for sure mean letting Evan and his goons run their gambling book out of his office. In his desperation death thrall, he convinces Jason to participate, betting the rights to the gym on his seemingly inevitable defeat. Against all odds and one fortuitous leg sweep, Jason wins. The gym is now the property of the Lee family. A total and utter betrayal of his best friend, his gym family, and himself. But obvi O'Neil doesn't see it that way. Confronted by the crew at large, he storms out furious and humiliated, locking everyone inside the gym overnight.
season 1. Ep 5: Ain’t No Sappy Shit, Ya Heard? While Jason, the gym staff and its loyal members bicker about how to escape their PED prison, a savior emerges from a marathon doomscroll toilet session. JJ, O’Neil’s mushroom dealer. He missed the whole shebang. But he did not forget the goods. With no real options on the table, everyone partakes. Which leads to a chaotic, hilarious and surprisingly cathartic bonding session. Pumping iron and pushing the boundaries of the mind. The stuff dreams are made of. Meanwhile, Black Chris has a separate and equally intrusive trap for O’Neil. Under the guise of two homies catching up, he lures O into a full intervention with Byron and other prominent black men from O’s past. Including his own father. Oddly enough, it lands. Just not the way anyone hoped.
season 1. Ep 6: Metaphorical Violence Coming off the 12-hour, psilocybin-fueled Kum Ba Yah session, Jason is the frontrunner for top dog at the gym. But the tension between him and Evan is reaching its boiling point. Jason knows Evan was manipulating O all along. When a negligent "will you spot me, bro?" leaves them coming to blows, Jason is banished from his one true home. O'Neil dials up his Trad Dad persona, involving Jade in every aspect of his crumbling life. Sure, but at least he sees the true value in fatherhood. Right?? When Stacey picks Jade up at the gym, she clocks the rapidly changing DNA of the place. Criminal elements abound. Separately, a broken Jason pops in unannounced to Sarah's OB appointment. Her new man is there. Jason, for once, does not choose metaphorical violence. He just wants to be part of his child's life.
season 1. Ep 7: $2 Batman Jason transforms into a two-dollar Batman. By day, he's wooing Sarah back into his good graces with his emotional growth on full display. By night, he operates in the shadows, co-conspiring with the gym rats to overthrow the criminal underbelly polluting their beloved pump palace. The guy's got nothing to lose. Other than the opportunity to raise his only child. Light work. The sting: entrap Evan and Ming Lee in a steroid selling racket. After a quintessential "can I talk to you for a second?" convo at their favorite diner, Jason convinces O'Neil to help. His shot at redemption. Make good on that pesky betrayal a couple eppies back. But when it counts, O hedges, pulling back at the last minute. Ends up a win/win for the Lee family. They realize there's a market for steroids as a luxury offering AND get to kick their feet up watching the gym rats and JB take the fall. And just as they're all getting hauled away for questioning, Sarah pulls in to scoop JB for her next OB appointment. :-(
season 1. Finale: The Ghost of O‑Star’s Future Our season finale converges on Jade's state finals soccer match. O'Neil shows up on time, but with Evan and a crew of Korean Killers in tow. He looks different. Acts different. Smells way the fuck different. Jade doesn't see it. She's still under his spell. But boy oh boy does everyone else. Stacey, Byron, Jason and Meredith sit together, deathly aware of the shift that's transpired with Jade in the crosshairs. Jason approaches O for a word. A fledgling attempt to salvage his once most trusted compadre. No dice. Evan and his goons intervene. A scuffle breaks out. Bit of a scene. Jason's been trying to reach Sarah this whole time. Right to voicemail. Over and over. In a last ditch effort to find happiness, he and Meredith rally the gym rats and head to Palmeri's Gym to see if it can't be their new home. What they find is the Ghost of Christmas Future. The place has been fully consumed by Evan's influence. A criminal enterprise humming along nicely. The ghost of O-Star's yet to come.
season 1. Finale (cont.) Meanwhile, Evan and Ming approach O'Neil with a proposition: they need to store a kidnapped scumbag in the back until they figure out what to do with him. O has to keep watch. The man is Jimmy Muscles. He's been skimming. A dejected Jason stumbles up his driveway when his phone rings. Sarah. She's moved back to Chicago with her man to have his baby. Be closer to her parents. He collapses. Then: HONK HONK. Xenons blind him. A pair of sturdy high heels march up. It's Stacey. "Come on," she demands. "I'm done watching this motherfucker ruin all our lives. Even yours." She extends her hand. Helps him up. Cut to black.
future seasons
A through line across every season is the elastic tether of the gym. Sure, it's the bar in Cheers. But it's also the island in Lost. Leave forever and you'll probably make it to Heaven. But you'll have to do it alone and that shit sounds boring.
future seasons. Season 2. This puppy kicks off with the Lee family having a real moment. Evan's plan is in full swing. Three overnight poker rooms across three gyms, each pulling six figures a week. The nefarious after-hours activities have fully seeped into day-to-day operations. Sketchy characters working out alongside the remaining gym rats. Violence ensues. Fear abounds. Bad look for anyone that isn't Evan and Ming. Where's O? Right there, fully bought in. Stockholm syndromed outta his mind. Everyone shut out except Jade, who's just happy to have papa back. Coward City, USA. Jason, meanwhile, has found his footing. Stacey got him a job at Equinox, Meredith's become vital to his emotional stability, and he's doing his damndest to be an out-of-town dad. Any disposable income goes toward trips to Chicago to be with his son. He hasn't seen O'Neil in almost a year. Two men, different trajectories. One thriving, the other spiraling.
future seasons. Season 2. Welp, that's the end of the story. Goodnight! Lol lol jk jk. Nah. Stacey been c-o-o-k-i-n, COOKIN'. When O lost the gym to the Lees? That never technically happened. They assumed control but it was never signed over. Still O's gym on paper. Stacey convinces O that she's ready to hand full custody of Jade over to him. He jumps on it, obvi. The ego stroke of all ego strokes. But he's too busy rubbing it in her face to read the fine print, which also states the gym is now Stacey's. Also, Jade is 17 and a half. Custody lasts six more months. The moron signs, and we are back in business.
future seasons. Season 2. Stacey tries the legal system first. No good. The Lees have lined the pockets of half the city's municipalities. So it's fighting fire with fire. Enter Black Chris, who's been quietly running a chain of carwashes out of South Central and has the kind of workforce and reach that makes problems disappear. The gym will be taken by force if need be. It needs to be. With O caught in the vice, there's only one place to turn: back into Jason's semi-welcoming arms. But O doesn't come back clean. The Jimmy Muscles situation is leverage the Lees will never let go of. It's the chain they keep on him even after he's out. After a whole lot of bloodshed, order is restored at O-Star. Stacey's calling the shots. Jason's back. The crew's back. Everything's coming up O. What self-fulfilling prophecy shall O'Neil commit to that ruins this perfect second chance everyone else worked so hard to give him? Well. That brings us to Season 3.
future seasons. Season 3. Season 3 is about one thing. Getting O-Star Fitness & Dojo humming. Safe. Inviting. Profitable. Three things it's basically never been. Stacey's calling the shots, Jason's back on the floor, the crew is reunited, and for the first time in a long time there's actual momentum. The Lee family, obvi, has other plans. Operating out of Palmeri Gym, their longest running laundering front, now pivoted to mostly legal fitness. They're doing everything in their power to kneecap O-Star from the outside. Undercutting memberships, poaching staff, applying pressure wherever they can find a seam. Death by a thousand cuts and everyone's bleeding a little. What nobody feels yet is the fox guarding the henhouse.
future seasons. Season 3. O'Neil is still on the premises. Still smiling. Still showing up. And still, quietly, systematically, sabotaging everything Stacey and the crew are building. The Lee family never fully let go. They're holding evidence of his criminal activity from when they controlled the gym. CCTV footage of O looking like a dipshit, tying him to the kidnapping, the bookmaking, all of it. That leash is short. O's been playing both sides and telling himself it's survival. It ain't survival. It's cowardice, again, dressed up in a different but equally questionable outfit. Eventually he figures out what everyone around him already knows. The only way the people he loves get to win is if he removes himself from the equation entirely. Over in JB's camp, things are actually looking up. His relationship with Meredith has fully blossomed. Healthy. Functional. Real. His life, for once, is pointing in the right direction. Then Sara calls.
future seasons. Season 3. Her new man has been cheating on her. Not with a stranger. With her childhood best friend. She wants out, wants to come back to LA, wants to build a family with Jason. Their son is in Chicago. And that woman don't beat around the bush. Take her back or they stay up there. Jason is not handling this cleanly. What he has with Meredith is rock solid. What he has with Sara is complicated, unresolved, and now carrying the weight of his kid's geography. As if that weren't enough, Jason's mom resurfaces. Impeccable timing as always. Takes a little tumble at home and needs to move in. Is it necessary? Debatable. Is it happening? Absolutely. Textbook malignant narcissist victim rope-a-dope.
Can I Talk to You for a Second? Thank you. Created By Jason Burke O’Neil Christopher Amir Farhang