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.
Not “Vicar of Dibley”! Is nothing sacred?! (So to speak.)
Well… at least they got it right with “The Office.”
But other than that- yawn.
OMG there is going to be a show about ‘The IT Crowd’?
How will they ever make crashing servers and installing apps interesting? Oh wait, they made lawyers seem interesting; if they can do that, they can do anything. Strange cast list.
And Kirstie Alley is going to be playing a minister? Isn’t that ironic, considering I do believe she’s a psycho-scientologist.