Armed only with horticultural knowledge and a great work ethic, they battle rogue hipsters, a retired cop and each other to rid their town of the unwanted visitors. The only thing that scares them more than going to jail is letting the other down.

They discover that successfully killing people is much harder than it looks on the tele and ‘trial and error’ can only get you so far before it gets you caught.

Back in the 1980s Bill “The Cheeky Gardener” Lawson was Australia’s first gardening guru. He retired at the height of his fame and moved back to his small family nursery in Billabong Creek. Shortly after, his wife left him, taking all his money, but leaving Bill with sole custody of their daughter, Tansy (then 4).

Fast forward 21yrs and Tansy (now 25), is helping her Dad run the nursery. She started a YouTube channel and uploaded Bill’s old TV episodes. She thought it’d give him a kick to see them again and encouraged him to answer questions on camera. In the beginning it was all a bit of fun and Bill (59) loved engaging with other plant lovers and sharing his knowledge. He had a new spring in his step.

But with the boom in indoor plants, organic gardening and hipster overreach, Bill’s videos were embraced by an unsavoury crowd. Word quickly spread among urban influencers desperate for horticultural credibility and he became a cult star. They flocked to his nursery, descending on the town like a plague of locusts.

Their insatiable appetite for ‘all things Bill’ was fuelled by Lawana (50), Bill’s former manager. When his star rose again she returned to his side, eager to capitalise on the new gold rush and desperate to make amends for the past and finally snag her man.

Soon the town was inundated with overpriced pop-up shops, kale bars and artisanal producers. Bill watched helplessly as locals were squeezed out or sold up. His nursery, which had kept the town on the map, was now causing its downfall. Something had to be done. After they inadvertently kill an influencer and accidentally slay her boyfriend, Bill and Tansy make a pact. They’ll rid their town of the unwanted guests. But they’ll only kill bad people. Influencers and really annoying hipsters. Plus the occasional millennial if they really shit them.

But they’re far from good at it. Bill’s impulsive and slapdash. Tansy hates blood and is juggling a million things at the nursery. They start to have a few wins. Then they don’t.

Blood & Bone is a love story about a father and daughter who’ll do anything to protect each other and their little patch of paradise. It’s a darkly comic take on the revenge genre. How far is too far when it comes to righting wrongs and protecting those you love?

Tonally it’s heightened – think Santa Clarita Diet – where you have an ordinary family thrust into an extraordinary situation. But the stakes are real. If Bill and Tansy get caught, they’re screwed.

Blood & Bone serves up a world we haven’t seen before. A world that’s quirky and irreverent with a uniquely Australian voice, and global appeal. It offers something with heart and humour like The Good Place. But tempers that with a darker more satirical edge like Barry. It’s Dexter meets Gardening Australia.

Bill’s a proud man who just wants to undo the damage he’s done. Plus he loves the fact it’s something him and Tansy can do together. Some time out from the day to day, and a bit of quality father-daughter time. And in his mind, that’s worth killing for.

30min pilot script
Written by Iain Crittenden