OVERVIEW

The Curious Adventures of Professor Khoo is a comedy adventure series about an age transforming professor who, along with two kids and an airship captain, travels to fantastical imaginary lands in search of curiosities.

A schizophrenic age transforming professor seeks to prove himself to the scientific world by studying curiosities on his travels to fantastical imaginary lands.  He is aided by Mako, his 8 year old mischievous nephew, who is a hopeless school drop out.  In command of the airship of their travels is Captain Durian, a desperate 33 year old rogue airman with dreams of fortune and glory.  His bold and daring 10 year old daughter, Lichee, wants to grow up into maturity as she keeps tabs on Khoo’s crazed life for her father. 

Pseudo 1800’s explorer of extremely imaginary lands full of curious cultures, people, strange plants and animals.  Upside down worlds, multi dimensional worlds, micro/macro worlds, etc…  Study and interact.  Fantastical wonderlands.  By land and sea.  A completely imaginary fantasy world full of peculiar things.  Interesting things.  Search for artifacts, legends, myths, photographing, trophies, collecting, experimenting, mapmaking adventures.   Travels on an implausible floating airship.  

Travels in useless and inefficient machines.  Hopping machines.  Walking machines. Big conal vehicles with small wheels.  Mini vehicles.  Vehicles that are always out of control.  Weapons that you have to fire in the opposite direction to hit its target. 

Khoo – brilliant schizophrenic loser

Mako – mischievous bratty

Captain – money hungry

Lichee – strong willed

MAIN CHARACTERS

Professor Khoo (Khoo) Keye is a 52 year old man obsessed and excited with discovery.  Somewhat of a brilliant loser.  Ostracized by the general community; nobody takes him seriously.  He’s insecure with himself.  Thinks his expedition, exploration, discoveries will give himself more credibility.   Often dreams of achieving fame and respect.  Makes brilliant things for the wrong function.  Whenever he’s concentrating on something, the world could be ending and he won’t lose concentration on the task he is focusing on.  His sometimes absent mindedness will also create inventions that are missing vital components.  He’s a mechanical genius like MacGyver.  But he’s insecure with his work.  A modest,  kind hearted guy. (chaplin?)  Loves nature and handling dangerous animals.  Teaches the two kids.  Nostalgic.  Believes in himself when most people don’t.  Wants scientific fame.  Khoo gives the most complicated solutions for the simplest of problems.  Totally inefficient. Khoo is about studying, documenting, recording, preserving.

Mako is the Professor’s nephew, an 8 year old boy.  His poor parents sent him to follow Khoo to learn and be come more world traveled.  So the tricked Khoo into taking him in.  Khoo decides to make Mako into somewhat of an assistant.   He’s a mischievous kid who does things for fun or personal gain but anytime something gets out of control, he’d rather try to cover it up than get help from the adults, happy, naïve, sometimes innocent, passive but he knows what he wants. He likes to play games with people.  He’s a troublemaker, prankster, and joker but never does these things in mean spirit.  Assistant to professor.  Mostly just wants to goof around and mess with things.  Easily influenced and a little unsure of himself sometimes.  Mocks Lichee and idea of maturity.  A kid of low class, low intelligence, and bad manners.  Naively points out things that he shouldn’t say like other people’s flaws.  Drop out.

Captain Durian To is a 33 year old man whom the professor owes a debt for construction and use of airship, and hopes to find promised treasures through exploration.  He’s a gutsy macho eat nails for breakfast type of guy who never takes showers and smells kind of funny.  A grumpy guy who always puts up with the Professor’s insanity.  He easily gets angry and impatient with the prof but never directly takes it out on him.  Barely knows how to control the illogical ship that the professor custom designed himself.  But he’s such a good pilot, he knows enough to be able to have adequate if not unpredictable control of it.  It’s like riding a bull. Tattooed.  Loves to arm wrestle.  He’s a greedy guy who’s easily tempted by money and treasure.  He loves to eat.  Rogue airman who dreams of fortune and glory.  Durian is about taking, hiding, and selling.  But treats them humanely and in perfect condition.

Lichee To is the Captain’s 10 year old daughter.  She is a daring, spirited, fearless, smart, often underestimated girl.  Sweet on the inside and tough on the outside.  Khoo is also responsible for her education as a condition for the airship use.  Whenever Khoo leaves the airship, she supervises, accompanies expeditions, keeps tabs on the professor and watches over events.  She’s the captain’s extra set of eyes and ears.  She wants to be a kid but tries to be a more mature person and often gets irritated with Mako’s reckless irresponsibility.   She’s a practical person and likes taking short and easy solutions to problems.  This leads her to shake her head and question the professor’s often complicated ways of thinking.  Strong willed, tuff, strong enough to talk back to his father even if she feels doing so.  Able to create a lot of chaos and has fun doing it.  A nimble person.  Also conflicted in gender roles.  Loves nature and pretty things.

SUPPORTING CHARACTERS

Dr. Huhh is the head of a university.  He has a certain respect for Khoo but is glad to rid himself of the kooky professor.

Madame Lankie is the director of a museum that sometimes purchases and aquires Khoo’s specimens and curious and historical artifacts.  But mostly sees Khoo’s collection as trash. 

VILLIANS

Pathetic Villains with big egos.  Dorky Villains

Professor Dorcus:  A rival egotistical dorky professor who steals and sabotages the professor’s ideas.  He trails the professor and spies on him.  Extremely jealous of Khoo, he even thinks the professor’s dumb ideas to be brilliant.  Has a dorky boy apprentice.

The Notorious Lady Ja is a funky stylish pirate lady.  Good and honorable at heart, she’s mainly a pirate for profit.  Likable, smart, sly, and fashion conscious, this pirate woman runs her piracy as a business.  She likes being pampered.  Has a crew of mostly incompetent pirate stooges (good help is so hard to find). 

Minilens are tiny odd and goofy low tech aliens who are fascinated by the professor.  They are less technologically advanced than the civilizations in Khoo’s world yet somehow they’ve figured out how to get there.  They’re bizarre people, good at stuff like body abductions/snatching and replacing people with robot replicas. 

The Giants

Another TV idea pitch that got shot down.