TV & Radio

Empire brings the music biz to TV - how about an Irish version?

Move over Empire, and say hello to Red Rock - the story of Brendan “Off The Chains” McGrane, a tortured soul and talented songwriter who's making one last move on the big time

Laurence Mackin
Fri May 15 2015 - 15:30

Empire is the latest television hit to take music as its setting; what’s surprising is that apart from it and Nashville, there isn’t much competition. So here’s our pitch for new series Red Rock*, about an Irish band on the make.

Brendan “Off The Chains” McGrane (Robert Sheehan) is a tortured soul and talented songwriter. He loves the cans, is pushing 24, and realises that he’s got one last shot before the music world passes him by. Like all aspiring Irish musicians, he’s already been down the boyband route, but after five years playing shopping centres with LadzTown, he decided he wasn’t artistically satisfied. here's our Irish pitch.

Now he’s lying about his age and putting a band together (“Drummer needed. Must have own car”); we’re thinking an Irish rock hip hop crew to appeal to that emerging US market looking to get down with the homies while honouring their heritage (a brief flirtation with the Christian market will provide artistic friction in season four). Local manager “Stabby” Joe Jingle (were thinking Brendan Gleeson) used to be the king of the showband scene, and now Chains looks like his ticket back to the top: one he’s even willing to kill for, albeit in hilarious comedy fashion.

He’s also got an eye for a quick buck though; will he have the sense to sign the lads up for that lucrative St Patrick’s Day German tour, or take the easy route and convince them the domestic wedding band circuit is worth a lash? (Poorly written females characters will be added at the last minute or at worst by season three.)

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The glamour of the Irish summer festival circuit (in exchange for playing, most of the band get a free day ticket); all the bling of Irish rock stardom (riders include one six pack and two packets of Tayto); heavyweight management struggles with demanding venues (“yeah of course they’ll play Brown Eyed Girl”); crucial artistic decisions that could decide the band’s ultimate success or failure (“Will we do a Eurovision song?”); and endless trips to play down the country, with nice Fáilte Ireland-sponsored swooping shots of cliffs: all the smash-hit elements are in place for any TV company willing to take this on. Rumours that Bressie is attached as executive producer are sadly wide of the mark (call us Bressie).

*Name changes possible depending on who sponsors the show. Any similarity to persons/shows living or dead should be taken up with Robin Thicke.