TV Hot Spot: News

NBC Picks up 'Kath & Kim'!

Post by: Sal


Source: Zap2It

NBC has put its money where its CEO's mouth is, skipping the pilot process to go straight to series with the comedy "Kath & Kim."

The network has ordered six episodes of the show, which is based on a hit Australian series about the love-hate relationship between a woman and her adult daughter. NBC's version will star Molly Shannon ("Saturday Night Live," "Pushing Daisies") and Selma Blair ("Hellboy," "Legally Blonde").

"This hilarious new series exemplifies how we are changing the pilot process by ordering shows that we believe in and green-lighting them straight to series," NBC co-chairman Ben Silverman says. "We are confident that this proven international hit will effortlessly translate to American audiences, and we couldn't be more excited that Molly and Selma will be playing the leads."

NBC CEO Jeff Zucker said recently that the network would scale back its pilot production in the future and instead order more projects direct to series. "Kath & Kim" was in development last year at NBC -- in conjunction with Reveille, the production company Silverman owned at the time -- but was put aside because of difficulty casting the leads.

When they came to NBC, Silverman and Teri Weinberg, now the executive vice president of NBC Entertainment, put the show back in development. Shannon was cast in the fall, and Blair signed on a couple weeks ago.

Michelle Nader ("The King of Queens") wrote the first-episode script and will serve as an executive producer with Paul Feig, who's directing the first episode. Gina Riley and Jane Turner, who created and starred in the Aussie show, will also be exec producers, along with Rick McKenna.


Take Care,

Sal