More new shows get orders
-
- October
- 8
NBC is developing “Outsourced,” based on the independent film of the same name; USA is turning to the 2006 film “Thank You for Smoking” for a “here’s what happened next” series; and ABC snagged “Rockville 2020” from the writer of the Will Ferrell/Emma Thompson film (which, by the way, was great), “Stranger Than Fiction,” Variety says.
First off, “Outsourced” is being developed by Ken Kwapis (he’s directed many eps of “The Office,” including Gay Witch Hunt and Casino Night, as well as “The Bernie Mac Show” and several features, including “License to Wed” and “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants”). “Like the movie, ‘Outsourced’ will revolve around a customer service manager from Seattle who is sent to India to train a ragtag group of call-center employees.”
Then there’s the “Thank You for Smoking” spinoff, which is likely to get a different title on the small screen. The show is supposed to “pick up where the 2006 feature left off. Nick Naylor, having kicked some of his more evil lobbyist habits, will use his rhetorical skills to help people more deserving of aid.”
“He’ll live somewhere between the morally ambiguous character of the movie and Robin Hood,” USA programming chief Jeff Wachtel told Variety. NBC (which is owned by NBC Universal, which also owns USA) apparently tried to develop a spinoff last year but passed on it in the end, Variety said.
Meanwhile, Rockville 2020 will be a drama and will be produced by Zach Helm.
According to Variety:
“Rockville” will tell the story of a midsize town in Oregon “that is quickly becoming irrelevant,” Helm said. “Their mayor decides to do something drastic to change the town, and that’s trying to get them a bid for the 2020 Olympics. “
Variety says the show, besides “exploring the town’s characters,” will also “examine a larger theological mystery.” So the “Lost”-itis in TV-land has not yet completely dissipated.
This entry was posted
on Monday, October 8th, 2007 at 2:26 pm by Amy Vernon.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
Print
| 
Email
