“Bar Karma,” which premieres Friday night on Current TV–which also just scored former MSNBC host Keith Olbermann–centers around a timeless bar where figures from throughout history come and face the question “What would happen if you could change your fate?”
The 12-episode series, which was co-created by Wright and Albie Hecht, has one major difference from just about any TV show going: Its story lines are created, in part at least, by its viewers. For more than a month, potential viewers have been going online and participating in the show’s development. Anyone can “pitch” plot ideas, art direction, and more, and the community has been casting votes for the best ideas. Those with the highest ratings will be adopted by the show’s professional producers.
According to a release from the producers, “Bar Karma travels through time and space, popping into patrons’ lives when they need more than a stiff drink. Every happy hour, bar owner Doug Jones…, James, the 20,000-year-old bartender…, and Dayna, the lone waitress…guide one lost soul through a crossroads in his or her life, using eerie glimpses into the past, present, and many possible futures. Some think it’s destiny; others believe free will brought them to the bar. But none of them will pass through the Bar Karma doors without being changed forever.”