TIGHTROPE is a four- part miniseries and was a 2025 OFFICIAL SELECTION AT SEVERAL SCREENWRITING COMPETITIONS

TIGHTROPE: A FOUR-PART CHARACTER DRIVEN MINISERIES

In 1862, President Lincoln facing the extraordinary challenges of a failing war effort, a recalcitrant chief general, and opposing demands by political factions and public demands describes his predicament as that of a tightrope artist who, while on the wire is urged by some to step to the left and others to step to the right. Lincoln must carefully thread the needle in order to avoid a calamity and maintain the war effort. My co-writer and editor is Jayme McMillan Associate Professor of Visual Arts at Western Colorado University beginning fall 2026. Tightrope was a finalist in three screenwriting competitions in 2025. Script is available upon request.

TIGHTROPE is a metaphor for President Lincoln’s experiencing of having to navigate through the pressures of being pulled in opposing directions by political factions. Lincoln stated that he feels like the Great Blondin who cross the Niagara Gorge one hundred times. “Can you imagine if spectators shouted, ‘a step to the left Blondin, a step to the right? I feel like I’m carrying the fate of the nation on my back and walking a tightrope.” The story centers on his conflict with General George McClellan over his tentativeness in taking the fight to the enemy and the resulting political and public pressures placed upon Lincoln. My co-writer is Jayme McMillan a visual arts professor.

AFTERLIVES: A FIVE PART MINISERIES

In this fantastical dramedy, Abraham Lincoln following his assassination finds himself in a transition village where residents must earn moving on to the afterlife. Lincoln is appointed by management to mentor new arrivals. Lincoln guides five famous individuals, who after initially refusing to confront moments in their lives and the persons involved, engage in critical self- reflection and acknowledge their wrongdoing, after which Lincoln himself must confront his own past before moving on. In 2025 AFTERLIVES was a finalist in three screenplay competitions. Jayme McMillan, an assistant professor of Visual Arts edited and cowrote the work.

THE REAL MCCOY I discussed in my last blog.

MAHLER: THE ARDUOS JOURNEY TO VIENNA is now at my editor! It is three-part miniseries based on the life of the composer and conductor Gustav Mahler. It deals with the many obstacles to achieving success, many due to external circumstances and some self-inflicted.

I am currently writing a script about the enormous conflicts between Prussian King Frederick the Great and his father King Frederick William.

If you are interested in reading any of these scripts, you can contact me by email. isseroffavi@gmail.com