BuzzSugar

Fox Tries to Rebuild Comedy Lineup With Four New Pilots

BuzzSugar — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 12:30:58 -0800

One of the major issues facing Fox's entertainment president, Kevin Reilly, at TCA last week was the sorry state of Fox's comedy development. Reilly himself noted that Fox had made a lot of year-end lists - er, those would be the worst lists - with Do Not Disturb, one of the first Fall shows to get axed, and the network has no live-action comedy on its schedule to start '09.

So it's interesting that today, Fox has given the green light to four new comedy pilots (among seven total), including one produced by Ben Stiller. A quick rundown of the comedies:

The Station - A Ben Stiller-produced show about a covert CIA operative embedded somewhere in South America who is ordered to install a new dictator.
Walorsky - Think Paul Blart: Mall Cop, the series. The show's about "a lazy ex-cop-turned-security guard patrolling a mall in Buffalo, NY, who is forced to grudgingly step it up after he is assigned an idiot partner."
Two Dollar Beer - This one's set in Detroit and centers on a blue-collar couple and their family and friends.
Sons of Tucson - In this comedy, three rich brothers hire a hustler to act like their father while their actual father serves out a prison term for a white-collar crime. It's supposed to be taking a Slums of Beverly Hills-esque tone.

At TCA, Reilly said the Fox comedies of the future should be "something that is a little bit bold and it's got a point of view," a la Malcolm in the Middle or Arrested Development. So, do you think any of the comedies in this list fit that bill?

Photos courtesy of Fox and Source

Prison Break's Ending, Fringe Is "A Keeper," & More From Fox

BuzzSugar — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 11:30:27 -0800

Greetings from the TCA press tour! I'm coming to you live from the Universal Hilton, where Fox is presenting its Winter and Spring shows today. A few minutes ago, the network's entertainment president, Kevin Reilly, took the stage to make some announcements about the network's future plans. Here are some highlights:

Prison Break is officially wrapping up this Spring after four seasons; its final batch of episodes (at least four, maybe a few more) will start Friday, April 17. "Prison Break has had a hell of a run and is just at the end of that run," Reilly said. "We'll put that one in the win column, but it just got down to the point where a lot of stories have been told."
Is this good news for Dollhouse? Reilly said "we're going to let the show play out for 13 episodes."
More on Dollhouse and the decision to put it on Friday: "Joss does a certain kind of show. I think he's right in the zone again on that. It's the kind of show that has a core passionate audience." If the show hadn't been put on Fridays, Reilly said, "there was going to be enormous pressure on it."

To see Reilly's thoughts about Fringe, the future of Fox comedy, and more, just read more.

Twice in the session, Reilly said Fringe "is a keeper." He said it's been "a bear creatively because it's been very ambitious," but the writers seem to have figured out the best way to tell their stories now. "If you follow the show week to week, you will not be disappointed in the serialized through-lines," he said, "and yet the stories really do reset themselves week to week." Usually, he said, closed-ended shows do better after American Idol, and while he doesn't expect Fringe to take off after Idol, he does expect it to "tick up."

Of Bones jumping all over the schedule, Reilly said the network has faith in the show even if all the moving around is "a strange way of showing the love." He called it the kind of show you build a network with, "these shows that can go in there and do a job for you."
The Family Guy spinoff, The Cleveland Show, has "frankly, a sweeter tone than Family Guy" and could be good for a younger audience. A full season of it has been ordered.
The network still has a full season of The Moment of Truth in the can for whenever it's needed and is considering doing more Secret Millionaire.
Reilly said Fox is in "a rebuilding period" for comedy, and they won't put something on the air just for the sake of having a comedy.
But, on that note, the animated Sit Down, Shut Up, which includes a ton of Arrested Development alumni, will premiere Sunday, April 19.

You can follow all my TCA adventures here and on Twitter all week.

Photos courtesy of Fox

TV News Roundup, 5/29

BuzzSugar — Tue, 29 May 2007 16:05:51 -0700

While we were having a relaxing holiday weekend, things were a little nuts over in TV land. Here are some of the most interesting stories:

Charles Nelson Reilly, my favorite "Match Game" panelist, died Friday at age 76, the Los Angeles Times reports.
NBC Entertainment president Kevin Reilly has been fired, Variety reports. In his place: Ben Silverman, whose studio produces "The Office" and "Ugly Betty," and Marc Graboff.
Reilly isn't the only axing at NBC: "Super-sized" comedies also won't be back next season, Zap2it reports.
A "House" executive producer tells USA Today that next season will look very different.
ABC has its eye on a show that sounds like a newsy YouTube, Variety reports.
The New York Times has the story about how "American Idol" saved "'Til Death."

Source