Shipley brothers crash land into prime time with survivor comedy ‘Wrecked’

Justin Shipley and his younger brother Jordan had little more than ambition going for them when they decided three years ago to dive into the TV sitcom arena — no credits, no experience and few connections.

But the twentysomething siblings from Kansas shared an off-kilter sensibility that they hoped might at least land them a lower-rung job on a writing staff.

Their first script together was a twisted take on “Lost,” set on an island with a group of wacky plane crash survivors. The set-up was lavish, the cast was large, the jokes were large-scale and the presumptive lead character — a heroic leader blessed with good looks and smarts — was killed off after 20 minutes.

They were realistic, seeing the idea more as a calling card showcasing their potential than a pitch. “It was such a big expensive idea, we knew no one would ever make it,” said Justin, now 27.

But when top honchos at TBS read the script, they saw more than a promising writing combo — they wanted their show.

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And three years after joining forces, the Shipley brothers have accomplished the near-impossible — striking gold with their first script and jumping the show-biz line from hopeful nobodies to executive producers of their own show.

“We do realize that stuff like this never happens,” said Justin Shipley last week as he and his brother prepared for the June 14 launch of “Wrecked” on TBS. The comedy, which has received a 10-episode order, has become a flagship in the re-imagining of the network under the leadership of Kevin Reilly, who arrived in 2015 after leaving Fox as its head of entertainment.

The brothers are still reeling from their good fortune. When Jordan got the word that TBS wanted to buy their script, he was working his afternoon shift at Trader Joe’s. His brother was holding down a mundane job at a company that makes educational films — “the kind you see in the waiting room of your dentist.”

Said Jordan, 25: “We just threw everything on the page, not even thinking about how you’d shoot it or produce it. It was just a pilot we’d love to see regardless of cost.”

The brothers now spend their days writing and promoting “Wrecked.” Though obviously thrilled, they remain focused on being professional and creative.

Said Jordan, “It’s just so wild to see something become so much bigger than us — and in the best way. We were by far the least experienced ones in the writer’s room, but everyone was so patient with us.”

As the brothers sat in the Fairfax-area office of their manager, Jesse Hara (who is also a producer on the show), their warmth for each other was palpable. Justin is 15 months older, with a scruff of facial hair highlighting his slim handsomeness. Jordan is clean-shaven with a thick swath of fashionably spiked hair. During an interview, he often deferred to his older brother when asked about “Wrecked.”

The series looks, at first glance, like a parody of “Lost.” A large group winds up on a remote island after their plane crashes. But although the brothers were devotees of that drama (“Justin still won’t apologize for the ending,” Jordan quipped), the humor has a more wicked bite.

“‘Lost’ was about 40 people on an island, but we only saw about 12 people each week,” Justin said. “And those 12 were the most handsome and the most capable. But we always wondered about the 30 people in the back, the ones who would say, ‘What’s happening up there? We can’t hear you.’”

Said Jordan, “We know if we had been in that situation, we would have been the first to die. Instead of dealing with the most capable, we wanted to take a plane full of lovable idiots and see how they would deal on the island.”

The inept characters at the core of the group include Danny Wallace (Brian Sacca), who lies to his fellow passengers about being a cop; Pack Hara (Asif Ali), a sports agent who panics at every turn, and Owen O’Connor (Zach Cregger), who is as clueless about survival skills as he was about being a flight attendant.

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Brett Weitz, executive vice president of original programming for TBS, said that in a business that often leans toward formulas and cliches, the Shipleys and their “Wrecked” script were a clear standout that hit a funny bone even with those who have never seen an episode of “Lost.”

Said Weitz, “If you give someone who’s different a shot, sometimes brilliance comes through. And when these guys came in, we just wanted to adopt them. They were just so articulate with a fresh point of view, and they were not jaded. They were themselves — that’s what we fell in love with.”

Weitz added that the sensibility of “Wrecked” fits in with Reilly’s directive to develop more original, “adventurous” fare aimed largely at millennials.

Executives aren’t the only ones impressed by the Shipleys. Jessica Lowe, who plays Florence, one of the survivors, said “It’s incredible these guys are so young but yet so funny. They haven’t been beaten down. Usually creators of shows have to have celebrated their 31st birthday.”

The brothers are now crossing their fingers that “Wrecked” finds an audience and gets renewed. Even if that doesn’t happen, their bond — both professional and personal — has been solidified by “Wrecked.”

Said Justin, “I can’t imagine writing with anyone else. I’ve heard how some partnerships fall apart. I can’t see that happening with us. No matter how bad it gets, we’re still brothers.”

greg.braxton@latimes.com

Follow me @GeBraxton on Twitter

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