Brits and Wheelchairs

Posted on April 16, 2007 by Gene

That about sums up the 2007-2008 television season. First up, the pilots that were picked up include a dizzying array of Brit shows that have been copied — and no doubt, bastardized — for an American audience.

ABC

Football Wives (ABC TV Studio)

Exec Producers: Chris Brancato, Bert Salke, Bryan Singer, Marco Pennette (writer)

Cast: Gabrielle Union, Brian White, Lucy Lawless, James Van Der Beek, Kiele Sanchez, Ving Rhames, Eddie Cibrian, Arielle Kebbel, Holly Robinson Peete

Logline: U.S. version of the popular British series that will focus on wives of professional football players.

Life on Mars (20th Century Fox TV)

Exec Producers: David E. Kelley, Stephen Garrett, Jane Featherstone

Director: Dwight Little

Cast: Rachelle Lefevre

Logline: Detective whose girlfriend has just been kidnapped finds himself transported back to the 1970s. Based on the BBC series.

The Thick of It (Sony Pictures TV)

Exec producers: Mitchell Hurwitz and Richard Day (writers), Paul Telegdy, Armando Iannucci

Cast: Christopher Guest, Rhea Deehorn, Oliver Platt, Michael McKean, John Michael Higgins, Alex Borstein, Wayne Wilderson

Logline: Office workers for a low-level congressman, based on a BBC format.

FOX

Untitled Simon Fuller (19 Entertainment)

Exec producers: Simon Fuller; Mal Young (creators)

Logline: Half-hour sudser that revolves around a blue-collar family; adapted from a British format.

The Minister of Divine (20th Century Fox TV)

Exec Producers: Suzanne Martin (writer); Richard Curtis; Andrew Zein; Mark Chapman

Director: Pam Fryman

Cast: Kirstie Alley

Logline: A woman known for her rebellious younger days returns to the small town she grew up in to be a minister at the town church. Based on the BBC show “Vicar of Dibley.”

NBC

The IT Crowd (NBC U TV)

Exec producers: Joe Wiseman & Joe Port (writers); Moses Port & David Guarascio (writers); Steve Tao; Graham Linehan (writer)

Director: Gail Mancuso

Cast: Joel McHale; Jessica St. Clair; Richard Ayoade; Rocky Carroll

Logline: The IT staff in a company. Adapted from British format.

Kath and Kim (NBC U TV)

Exec producers: Nancy Pimental (writer); Gina Riley; Jane Turner; Rick McKenna; Ben Silverman

Logline: The adventures of love and denial as only a mother and daughter could live it. Adapted from Australian format.

And this year’s “minority” to saturate our screens — like the “Will and Grace” gay era — wheelchair users.

I’m With Stupid (NBC U TV) [NBC]

Exec producers:Wil Calhoun (writer); Ben Silverman; Teri Weinberg; Kenton Allen; Paul Telegdy

Director: Linwood Boomer

Cast: Daryl “Chill” Mitchell, Christopher Thornton, Kevin Daniels, Lusia Strus, Brianne Davis

Logline: An unlucky guy meets a man who uses a wheelchair…and moves into his group home.

Playing Chicken (Warner Bros. TV) [Fox]

Exec Producers: Sean Anders & John Morris (writers); Tom Werner; Eric Gold; Jimmy Miller; John Pasquin

Director: John Pasquin

Cast: Norbert Leo Butz, Marianne Muellerleile, Bill Burr, Jake Busey, Alanna Ubach

Logline: Two brothers who differ politically are forced to live together after one suffers an accident that leaves him wheelchair bound.