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MIKE REYNOLDS
The recently rebranded TNN: The National Network will go on the road and tap improv for its first two original series.
Speaking at the TCA winter press tour last week, TNN GM Diane Robina noted that the network had commissioned six episodes each of Small Shots and Lifegame, both of which will premiere this summer.
Small Shots will feature Chris Cox and Matt Sloan, the creators of Swingblade, the spoof of Swingers and Sling Blade, on the road in search of common-man talent to help them produce short adaptations of high-profile Hollywood films. The pilot, parodying Gladiator, had the critics in stitches, as did the prospects of such would-be classics as Castaway 2: Wilson, I Love You; Amish Matrix; and Elderly Boogie Nights. The latter may have already found a sponsor: Viagra.
Lifegame is an adaptation of a British theatrical performance in which an audience member goes on stage to tell his/her life story, while the improv troupe demonstrates the events. Robina called Lifegame a cross between This Is Your Life and Who's Line Is It Anyway.
"It's both humorous and emotional," she said.
TNN, which aspires to offer 50% original programming by 2005, also has 25 pilots in development, including documentary series 15 Minutes of Fame; Pop Across America, a traveling talk show hosted by comic Steve Marmel, yakking on a flatbed truck driven by Survivor cast member Susan Hawk; and Stinkin' Rich, a quizzer hosted by Robin Leach.
In other MTVN news:
- VH1 will roll out a number of new series and specials this year. The network's first animated series, Animal Trax, spoofs a record label and the music industry, while scripted dramedy Signs of Life trails a one-hit rock band trying to recapture its 1980s glory. Other series include reality show, Bands on the Run, and game show Name That Video.
- MTV programming president Brian Graden took the wraps (well almost) off The Andy Dick Show. Premiering Feb. 27, the show - six episodes have been ordered - will feature the comedian in sketches, vignettes, short films and music video parodies. An acquired taste, Dick, clad only in a jock strap/thong, popped out of a cake commemorating MTV's 20th birthday, shooting whipped cream and asking critics if "anyone wanted a little mocha in their coffee." Graden has also greenlit production on two original films, Spring Break Lawyer and Carmen: A Hip Hopera.
- Nickelodeon EVP/GM Cyma Zarghami announced interactive plays for the kids kingpin. BubbleCast, debuting Feb. 1, is an online game, available at Nick.com, that is designed for children to play as they watch Nick shows. It premieres with Rugrats that day at 4 p.m. and will become part of the afternoon programming block, "Slime Time Live." Also, viewers will select among three endings for the March 9 episode of SpongeBob SquarePants.
- TV Land will run a 48-hour Odd Couple marathon Feb. 10-11. The retro TV channel will insert a little KAOS and CONTROL into its lineup, beginning April 2, with Get Smart. TV Land will salute the spy spoof in May with a week-long celebration, highlighted by the latest installment of its Inside TV Land franchise.
Comedy Central will jump into the talk show genre in a big way next fall.
The channel rolled out Martin Short as inimitable interviewer Jiminy Glick, host of Primetime Glick, at its session during the TCA winter press tour in Pasadena, Calif., last week. Short, in character, regaled the pundits with his improvisational skills and stream-of-consciousness rants and remembrances. The rotund Glick - crossing his legs was quite a chore - whose voice ranges from growling to effeminate, will be joined each half hour by a special guest host.
Judging by the critics' hooting and howling, Comedy Central, which has ordered 10 episodes, might have a hit on its hand with Glick, who left the room with a cry for "Lunch!!!"
EVP/GM Bill Hilary also announced a special tentatively titled Comedy Central Sports Presents the Sweet Spot, featuring the brothers Murray - Bill, Brian Doyle, Joel and John - taking on the reverence of the golf world. The half-hour show, debuting in September, will follow the foursome as they veer off course from the first tee to the 19th hole.
"We're thrilled to have Bill Murray's first television project in years. We're confident The Sweet Spot will turn into a series," says Hilary.
South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone talked up their sitcom, That's My Bush, spoofing the programming genre and America's new first family in the process. The protracted Presidential election has delayed production on the project.
"It didn't matter whether it was Bush or Gore because we're not out to skewer a president; we're out to do something very, very subversive and actually make you really love this guy," they said.
Comedy Central has ordered eight episodes of That's My Bush, slated to premiere in March.
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