Sunday, December 04, 2005

TV briefs

Dueling Popes! Two networks have biopics on John Paul II scheduled. Sorry Fox is not one of them. They’d probably want to give the pontiff a hot love interest.

But two networks doing MOW’s on the same person is nothing new. Pope John Paul II joins Amy Fisher and Libarce.

Meanwhile, not to be outdone by NBC developing a sitcom based on Al Roker’s life, CBS has announced (and this is true) that they’re developing a comedy starring Al Sharpton called AL IN THE FAMILY. My writing partner, David said “why not just do the JEFFERSONS again?” This reminds me of when ABC did a new Afro American version of the ODD COUPLE in 1982 with Ron Glass and Demond Wilson as Felix & Oscar. It prompted writer Harvey Miller to suggest “Since they’re redoing the original scripts why not save money and just show the negatives?”.

1 comment :

Allan said...

Yes! Bring back The Jeffersons!
This time use more stereotypes in order to broaden the offensive nature of the original
- make the British neighbour openly gay and give him Mohammed, a Muslim "houseboy" who has an ongoing feud w/ Flo, the J's born-again maid. Lots of room for madcap Tom & Jerry-esque capades, leading up to a "Special Holiday Event" featuring Flo & 'Mo' locked in a 'safe-room' after their zany hijinks leave the building choked with homeade poison gas. (They can find the true meaning of X-mas in this wretched 60 min tear-jerker)

The stupid, fat white guy could now have a domineering Asian wife who makes a lot more money than him and has a flagrant affair with her tofu-gobblin' yoga instructor.
George's cleaners could be staffed with "illegals"- one Mexican, one Serbian. The former would panic at "la emigre", the latter at car back-fires. Ha ha! (Get it- he's scared of explosions because his family was killed in a bomb attack. Hilarious!)

Jews can take offense at having to write it ,and everyone left out can be insulted by watching it.

Howabout bringing back Hogan's Heroes?