CODEPENDENT
Section: Independent TV Pilot Competition
Showrunners: Weston McElhaney, Wade McElhaney
Director: Caitlyn Phu
Logline: Quirky and chaotic LA-based twins Tristan and Max both get fired on the same day. Tristan curses out a TV writer, while Max accidentally leaks his boss’s blockbuster script. Feeling hopeless, the twins turn to their friend Jane, who works in corporate film but hates it. The twins frantically apply for new jobs, promising each other they won’t go after the same positions. Surprise: they completely disregard their oath and go after the same ones. Only Max secures a role, and in Codependent fashion, they decide to pursue the job as one person.
Panelists: Weston McElhaney, Wade McElhaney, Caitlyn Phu and Riley Sigler
Premiered: March 14, 2026
Key Quote: “I think a lot of the show started, the idea of it, when my brother and I had to move back to our parents’ house, because financially things just weren’t working out for us,” showrunner and actor Wade McElhaney said. “That’s how we were coping. We were like, ‘We’re going to turn this situation that I view deep down as kind of eugh, into oh it’s funny, we’re making art out of it.”
Deadline Studio at SXSW presented by Redbreast Irish Whiskey.