The Millers by Greg Garcia (outline)

The Millers by Dan Fogelman. Good for a show featuring older parents and their adult offspring. Outline on next page...

NO COLD OPEN

ACT 1

1. On the street: NATHAN does a news report on unorthodox discipline. Clearly a softball story. RAY, the cameraman/ Nathan’s best friend tries to convince newly-divorced Nathan to have a party. Nathan agrees.
2. Debbie’s house - Nathan arrives at his sister DEBBIE’s. He greets her, her husband, ADAM and her daughter MYKAYLA. Nathan is loaning this family money because Adam’s mattress-sales business is slow. We also learn that Debbie is renting her parents’ old house. The family watches Nathan’s news report. Debbie’s son TREVOR passes through the scene to let Nathan know he has 508 Twitter followers on the fake account he created for Nathan. Then, Debbie gets a call from their parents.
3. Carol and Tom’s House - We meet CAROL, Nathan and Debbie’s mom. She tells Nathan and Debbie that their father flooded the basement again so they’re coming into town to stay with Debbie.
4. Intercut - Carol says they’ll be in town TODAY. No one wants that. Carol’s husband, TOM, comes on the phone and accidentally presses a button with his chin so everyone has to listen to redialing. Tom is concerned about what kind of toothpaste Debbie has - cinnamon hurts his tongue. Then, Carol asks if JANICE, Nathan’s wife, read the article Carol sent on fertility. Nathan says, Yep, she did. Debbie looks at him, sus.
5. End intercut in Debbie’s house - We learn that Nathan was lying about Janice. Not only did she not get the article — Nathan DIVORCED HER!!! Debbie says she’s having fun lying about it and Nathan says good, I’m gonna keep lying about it. The scene ends with the final beat of Nathan’s newscast on the TV.
6. Nathan’s house - Doorbell rings. Nathan answers it to see his parents and their suitcases. Carol says she had a fight with Debbie over the color that Debbie painted one of her rooms. Carol clearly micromanages Tom and Nathan.
7. Kitchen - Carol makes Tom pour bottled water back into the bottle and give her tap water. She takes a sleeping pill.
8. Upstairs - Tom is looking for toothpaste/ Janice.
9. Living room - Carol looks around the house, notices things missing. Like throw pillows, and a treadmill in the dining room. Tom comes down and says he can’t find Janice. Nathan confesses — he and Janice have been divorced for three months. Tom storms out and goes upstairs. Carol refuses to accept this and tries to throw up her sleeping pill so she can call Janice. Tom comes downstairs with his suitcase and announces, he’s leaving too! If Nathan can get divorced in the name of happiness, so can Tom. Button: Carol says, “look what you did.”

ACT 2

1. Carol is talking on the phone about the benefits of being single again and how incompetent Tom is at living alone (he microwaves metal, etc.). Nathan comes downstairs and realizes his mom has clipped his toenails in the night. Carol reveals she’s actually talking to a woman from a moving company — all Carol’s stuff is getting shipped to Nathan’s from Myrtle Beach. Nathan is panicked. Nathan gets a call.
2. Debbie’s House - The call is from Debbie. Tom is microwaving metal, just like Carol said. Debbie says Nathan has to come over.
3. Debbie’s House, Later - Mykayla asks Tom why her parents call him “Forrest Gump?”
4. Living room - Debbie is scolding Nathan about the situation he created, but Nathan blames her for repainting the room. Nathan tries to orchestrate a switch for Mom and Dad. But Debbie doesn’t want Mom and thinks she and Nathan deserve each other. Tom comes in and complains about Carol, but also reveals he flushed his bathrobe belt down the toilet.
5. Nathan’s house - Carol watches Nathan do another softball story on the news. Carol is critical about why Nathan doesn’t get better beats. Nathan starts to respond defensively but then realizes his mom farted. AND that she took a sleeping pill and is acting goofy. DOORBELL rings, it’s Ray. There for the party Nathan agreed to have. Carol insists that Nathan have the party, even though he doesn’t want to anymore.
6. Debbie’s house - Tom struggles to figure out how to turn on the TV. Debbie lets him flail, hoping he’ll give up and return to their mother.
7. Nathan’s house - Ray tries to set Nathan up with TRISHA.
8. Upstairs - Carol stumbles out of bed in a sleeping pill stupor.
9. Living room - Nathan is hitting it off with Trisha.
10. Kitchen - Carol stumbles in to get ice cream.
11. Living room - Carol tries to hit on party guests: “I’m recently single and can’t get pregnant.” Nathan notices her and goes to confront her. Carol tries to change the music to Dirty Dancing, which is the song she made Nathan and Janice dance to at their own wedding. Nathan leaves to get his mom a spoon for her ice cream.
12. Debbie’s house - Tom is still trying to figure out remotes. He finds one in a drawer.
13. Bedroom - Debbie and Adam realize Tom has found the lost remote for their sleep number bed.
14. Nathan’s house - Nathan discovers his mom running and crying on his dining room treadmill. No one wants to dance with her so she’s decided to get in shape. Trisha is started to get weirded out. Nathan reassures Carol. It’s very sweet. Then, he sacrifices his “sure thing” with Trish to dance with his mom. It’s creepy but cute, then his mom farts.

TAG

1. Carol guides Tom over the phone on how to use the coffee maker at Debbie’s house. He is helpless. They still love each other but clearly need some time apart.