SYNOPSIS:

Samuel (“Sam”) Luk is the second son born into a wealthy and accomplished Chinese family in Hong Kong. His family’s fortune dates back generations from their mercantile efforts during British colonial rule, although in more recent times they have branched out into finance and banking. Sam’s older brother, William Luk, is the heir apparent to the family dynasty and someone that Sam looks up to, although there are hints of sibling rivalry. William is very cerebral and if Sam fancies himself a modern day Sherlock Holmes, his brother William is like Mycroft, the smarter elder brother. While his family has traditionally been anglophiles, Sam, always a bit rebellious, found himself enamored of Bruce Lee and America, and against his parent’s wishes, attended college in the U.S. and has studied martial arts extensively, including Wing Chun Kung Fu, Filipino Martial Arts, and others. Given access to a modest trust fund to provide for his education, Sam is licensed to practice law but found himself bored sitting behind a desk and decided to apply his talents to solving cases the police could not, or would not, handle. He lives on an old converted Chinese junk moored in Hong Kong’s harbor, a gift from a grateful client on one of his earliest cases. His family holds out hope that Sam will eventually “come to his senses” and rejoin polite society, and even though there is sporadic tension over his life choices, they are grudgingly proud of his accomplishments. Sam finds Westerners often mispronouncing his name, hence his expression, “it’s ‘luck’ without the ‘c’.” Among his quirks is that he is fascinated by cricket fighting and he breeds praying mantises, as he admires their stealth, patience and fighting ability. Sam’s best friend is Nigel Wingate, whose aristocratic family, which has deep ties into Hong Kong, has largely burned through its generational wealth and despite old money pretensions, lives in genteel shabbiness. Nigel, and adventure seeker himself, is a veteran of Britain’s elite Special Boat Service (SBS) who was wounded-in-action and left the service when he was no longer able to continue to serve with the SBS. Nigel occasionally serves as a bodyguard to wealthy Hong Kong citizens but also makes his living gambling in legal and illegal dens. Sam has managed to arrange for the support services of American beauty Natalie Jensen, a woman with a mysterious past. Natalie is actually employed by his father’s company but is sent to keep tabs on his activities. We learn over time that she came to the “Orient” to reinvent herself following a painful divorce. Eventually it will be revealed that she divorced her husband when she discovered that he was deeply involved with organized crime, spent some time in the federal witness protection program after testifying against him, and lives in fear that one day he or his minions will track her down. Although Sam often treats Natalie as his “Girl Friday,” she soon proves her mettle and takes on a more active role in his investigations. Other secondary characters in the series include Sam’s best friend from childhood, Cheung, who runs an import/export business with international dealings who has ties to the underworld, and Inspector Sung of the Interior Ministry, who is an occasional ally and sometimes a foil to Sam. Another secondary character is Hui Zhong, a beautiful and highly competent Hong Kong police inspector that Sam admires from afar. Types of Stories: Generally the series will focus on “mysteries of the week” in which Sam and his accomplices will investigate a new case and follow it to some conclusion, usually (but no always) solving the mystery. Some cases may unfold over multiple episodes and there will be storylines, usually dealing with character back-stories or major evolving story arcs, which unfold over the course of the season. Some stories will delve into the supernatural /mythological, fusing Western and Eastern traditions and reflecting upon the multi-cultural locale and diverse nature of Hong Kong. The series will incorporate action sequences into every episode but also involve some cerebral sleuthing and make use of outdoor locations for variety wherever possible. Examples of potential storylines may include: Investigating racketeering and thefts at casinos; investigating murder cases; finding missing persons; recovering stolen property and rare artifacts/antiquities; getting mixed up accidentally into international espionage; disrupting human/drugs/weapons trafficking rings; providing bodyguard services; and possible plotlines involving terrorism. Although Sam tries to avoid divorce cases and family disputes, occasionally he’ll be reluctantly dragged into these when business is slow. Sometimes his clients are not what they initially seem and in the tradition of American film noir, he discovers that these clients are using him for their own purposes. Influences: “The Equalizer” “Magnum, P.I.” “The Closer” “The Rockford Files” “Spenser for Hire” “The X-Files” Classic Film Noir (e.g. The Maltese Falcon, Double Indemnity, The Big Sleep) Series Creators: Jonathan Samuel Ross & Mark O’Neill Contact: Jonathan: 310.729.5728 Mark: 310.409.8159