TREATMENT: 

   GRAVE DIGGERS, BODYSNATCHERS, & HUGGER-MUGGERS is a black comedy about chosen family, death, and class, tonally evoking the acerbic comedy of shows like VEEP with the contemporary spin on history akin to THE GREAT. Set in a filthy and stylized period world, it is, at its core, a hybrid dysfunctional family and workplace sit-com, with Phillipa, Humphrey, Hulme, and Mildred (who gradually decomposes a bit more each episode) forming a bizarre household.

   I see this show as a thoroughly modern and class-conscious addition to the landscape of British period pieces. Typically, costume dramas (particularly those tethered to historical accuracy) depict class and classism in isolation, focussing on a singular tier or wealth and privilege (or lack thereof). This story showcases characters across the class spectrum as they engage with class through love, compromise, deceit, and even resurrection. For all its verbosity and morbid whimsey, this piece is about the ruthlessness of class systems, the extent to which people go to rise to the top and defend their position there, and what they sacrifice along the way. 

   I love this story not only for its surreal twists, ornate dialogue, and vulgar punchlines but for the ensemble of characters at its core and the hysterical world in which it is set. Through its farce, gallows humor, and rapid-fire dialogue, it examines the extent to which we create and accept deceit for the sake of love. Despite being a full-blown comedy, this story shines a light on how we become liable to lie (to others, or even to ourselves) under love’s spell – even when that love is a delusion or a rosy memory from beyond the grave.