Kris Shuman
Dead in the Water

Dead in the Water

The deeper he digs into the truth, the more it looks like the people he trusts are part of it.

Format Pilot — Southern Gothic / Crime / Drama
Status Early Development
Comps True Detective meets Mare of Easttown

People call it cleansing. I call it what it is—murder with a Bible wrapped around it.

— Church Mitchell

Overview

A recovering detective in rural Georgia is pulled into a disturbing case when a child’s bracelet is found inside the stomach of a black bear—seemingly random, until it connects to a missing girl. What begins as an isolated investigation quickly expands as more bodies surface along the state’s waterways, each one placed with deliberate intent. As jurisdictional lines blur, the theory of a lone killer gives way to something far more dangerous: a hidden network operating across communities, bound by a shared belief in purification through violence. While leading the investigation, he’s forced to navigate the same town that once covered up his own past, raising a chilling possibility—this system isn’t outside the community, it is the community. As symbols, rituals, and patterns begin to reveal themselves, the case stops being about who did it—and becomes about how deep it goes. Because by the time he understands what he’s facing, he may already be surrounded by it.

Themes

  • Redemption
  • Faith Vs. Corruption
  • Truth Beneath Community
  • Control

Tone

Atmospheric. Slow-burn. Investigative. Unsettling.

Stills

The daylight always brings truth. But, this time…

The daylight always brings truth. But, this time…

…it’s more tragic than most.

…it’s more tragic than most.

Our outsides reflect our insides.

Our outsides reflect our insides.

That’s especially true for Church Mitchell.

That’s especially true for Church Mitchell.

Won’t find much in there.

Won’t find much in there.

That symbol. Church has seen it before.

That symbol. Church has seen it before.

Meanwhile…four hours to the north…

Meanwhile…four hours to the north…

…another victim surfaces near the water’s edge.

…another victim surfaces near the water’s edge.

If this kind of story fits what you’re building—let’s talk.