The night low-end, Victorian, street-walker,
MINNIE ST. CLAIR (Melissa McCarthy) meets the young poet,
FRANCIS THOMPSON (Will Arnett) is the same night she kills 'The Whitechapel Murderer'... well, sort of. When Assistant Commissioner of Crime,
MELVILLE MACNAGHTEN (Ron White) shows up with questions for the dolly-mop who was last to see Mr. Thompson, Minnie and her band of misfit street-ladies take it to the roads, disguised as aristocratic fair-ladies, with hope of escaping their ill-fate and the promise of America.
RIPPER GIRLS is a half-hour long historical sitcom.
| Melissa McCarthy as Minnie St. Clair |
'If this boat sinks that'll be a blessing in disguise. Well, for most of us. I'm sure the air between Pearl's ears will keep her a float for at least three days.'Minnie is a woman of many talents. She's a smart, savvy con-woman who uses her assets to her advantage and has a way of turning negatives into positives, despite the many odds. Minnie dreams of a life bigger than her own, this causes her to do death-defying stunts in order to pursue that fading rainbow and the pot of gold beneath it.
| Will Arnett as Francis Thompson / The Narrator |
'Minnie and the gang were on a road to nowhere, literally. If I had to guess I'd say they took a wrong turn around pride and prejudice.'Francis Thompson is the infamous Jack the Ripper; the Whitechapel Murderer; Leather Apron. Whatever you call him it all means the same thing. Well-mannered Francis Thompson is a killer. When his name is brought up as a suspect Francis skips town where one night he meets his next victim, Minnie St. Clair. But unfortunately accidents happen and Francis finds himself concussed and floating in the river. After the Pilot, Francis becomes the Narrator who opens and closes every episode.
| Ron White as Melville Macnaghten |
'So, what you're saying is you haven't see a heavyset, dolly-mop, named Minnie St. Clair, who may even be hiding behind that door over there staring at us having this conversation?'Melville Macnaghten is hunting Jack the Ripper. Every lead, every whisper is helpful to him. When Francis Thompson's name comes up it seems like for certain that he's the killer. But, when Francis mysteriously disappears the same night he meets a group of street-walkers, Melville questions whether he had help in the whole thing. Now dubbed Ripper's Girls, Melville will track down our lady gang all over God's green Earth if he has to.
| Wanda Sykes as Bessie Melbrooks |
'Bessie? Bessie? Are you serious? Why not call me Old Heifer? Milk me dry and ship me off to pasture.'Mother-figure, Bessie, is the oldest and wisest of the group. She guides the other girls with harshness and backhanded comments. But what she lacks in compassion she makes up for in sarcasm. Although she'd never admit it, she sees the girls as family, the only family she has.
| Leslie Mann as Pearl No-Last-Name |
'I've done that. And that other thing. Oh and that too. Nope, I've never done that...wait, what is it? Oh yeah, I've done that.'Flighty Pearl is ignorantly blissful to the dire situation the girls find themselves in. She sees the whole thing as an adventure, a trip, a game. The world is full of possibilities to Pearl even when the future seems bleak. Her stupidity drives the girls to the brink of insanity but her world view leaves them envious.
| Sarah Silverman as Clara Freeman |
'...'Clara Freeman is mute and uses a special form of sign-language to communicate with her fellow comrades. Jolting her entire body into what some would deem as inappropriate, lewd, suggestive positions only to mean things like 'box-car', 'chesterfield' and 'lollygag'. No one knows for sure how Clara lost her tongue but that doesn't stop Bessie from asking if it was any of her outlandish scenarios.
| Chelsea Handler as Ida Smit |
'This is never going to work. Why? Because we're not classy people. Classy people certainly don't drink and I'm drunk right now.'Loud-mouth, Ida is bossy, lazy, and frankly doesn't give two sh**s. She is not afraid to express how dumb she feels a situation or action is. A simple look or sigh says it all. Unlike the other girls, Ida wasn't born into poverty but simply choice to live on the streets. She was born a blue-blood but found the life dull and full of pompous jackasses, a secret she can't keep from the girls for long.
| Margaret Cho as Chi Meng |
'If I can survive dysentery, lockjaw, three rounds of syphilis and the common cold, I can survive this. Now help me up on this horse.'Chi Meng plays the Asian stereotype well and to her advantage, even though she was born and raised in England. It's got her out of many sticky situations with the local authorities. Melville sees right through her façade the moment they meet. Chi is a control-freak and when something is not done right, or she feels is not being done right, she'll do it herself, usually leading to more trouble than it's worth.
1.01 - Pilot | Riptide RipperAfter winning spots on the S.S. British Princess bound for America, Minnie St. Clair's luck turns sour when she accidentally kills a(n), unbeknownst to her, killer. Fearing the repercussions, Minnie and her friends change their identities and flee town in search of the ship to freedom.
1.02 - Up Smit's Creek Without A PaddleWhen the girls end up guests to a party for the elite, Ida struggles to hide her past from her friends. But Madam Penelope Smit, Ida's mother, is going to have no part of that. Betty White guest stars as Madam Penelope Smit.
1.03 - It Oswald, It Ends WellPearl meets a man named Oswald who claims to have a ship to rent for a good price. But when the boat turns out to be a death-trap waiting to happen Minnie and the gang discover whether they can sink or swim.
I chose Historical/Comedy knowing full well I was going to pitch a comedy centered around Jack the Ripper. It was the first thing to pop into my head when I saw the genre combination. I see this as a 'It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia' type comedy show where the humor is raunchy and borderline criminal. My vision is that the main cast is very modern in their dialogue which gives great contrast to the people and environment around them. Each episode will revolve around them trying to leave England but always ending with them unsuccessful. As the story progresses we discover that Melville is not the only man hot on their trail. I tried to hit two of the optional constraints: 1) Must contain an ensemble cast (8+ characters) and 2) Entire cast must be over 40.
