****
TIMES SQUARE GOSSIP TELEVISION
****
Betty White Rules TV Land
TV Land has ordered cast-contingent pilots for two new original sitcoms, it was announced recently by Larry W. Jones, president, TV Land. The first, “I’m Not Dead Yet,” is a single-camera comedy from Ben Silverman’s multimedia entertainment studio Electus. The sitcom is about a man who finds out that he has a rare heart condition that could cause him to die at any moment, and so he decides to finally start speaking his mind and live life to the fullest. The second, “Brothers-in-Law,” is executive produced by Scott Stuber (“Whitney,”“Role Models”) and revolves around the family dynamic between a husband and the eccentric fiancé of his wife’s twin sister. Although the men have nothing in common, the sisters constantly force them to bond.
“I’m Not Dead Yet,” adapted from the DBS produced Israeli format “Zanzuri,” is written by Jon Sherman (“Frasier”) with Electus’s Jimmy Fox (“Fashion Star,” “Mob Wives”) co-executive producing alongside executive producer Ben Silverman (“The Office,” “Ugly Betty”). “Brothers-in-Law” is written and executive produced by Bill Martin and Mike Schiff (“3rd Rock From The Sun”), who will also serve as showrunners, and produced by Quan Phang (“Whitney”).
“With these pilot orders, TV Land continues down a path to build its own library of original sitcoms that will be paired up with some of the best sitcoms ever made,” said Jones. “This year, we are expanding beyond the multi-camera format – which has been so successful for us – to include one single-camera project. This is very exciting for TV Land as we continue to grow.”
Keith Cox, executive vice president, development and original programming, TV Land, took charge of the network’s goal to find the best new scripts with innovative concepts that fit with the network’s identity and comedy style.
“It’s an honor to be in business with some of the biggest names behind the scenes in Hollywood, like Ben Silverman and Scott Stuber,” said Cox. “We were fortunate to work with so many talented writers this season and it was harder than ever to choose our pilot orders. We believe that the two scripts we selected have a very strong and original point of view and really have the potential to grow on our network.”
TV Land’s original scripted sitcoms – “Hot in Cleveland,” “Happily Divorced,” “The Exes” and “Retired at 35” – have a history of success, with each of them posting double and triple-digit gains over the network’s primetime average. “Hot in Cleveland,” the network’s first original sitcom starring Valerie Bertinelli, Jane Leeves, Wendie Malick and Betty White, has gone on to win several awards and accolades, including two consecutive Screen Actors Guild Awards® for White for her role as “Elka,” a Screen Actors Guild Award® nomination for the cast, and an Emmy® Award nomination for White for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. Additionally, “Retired at 35” was nominated for an Emmy® Award in 2011 for Outstanding Cinematography for a Multi-Camera Series.
The popularity of the network’s original sitcoms has grown, sparking the need to expand to two nights of original programming. This summer, the line-up includes the new series “The Soul Man” starring Cedric “The Entertainer” and Niecy Nash, premiering Wednesday, June 20 at 10pm ET/PT, followed by the second season premiere of “The Exes,” starring Donald Faison, Wayne Knight, David Alan Basche, Kelly Stables and Kristen Johnston. Then, on Tuesday, June 26, the second season of “Retired at 35” debuts at 10pm ET/PT followed by encores of “Hot in Cleveland.”
