Whoopi Goldberg, Courteney Cox Arquette and David Arquette, Daisy Donovan and Cedric the Entertainer Leading �Very Funny� Talent to TBS
Pauly Shore and Bruce Nash of Nash Entertainment Also On Board for TBS Series, Pilots and Development Projects
TBS Hit THE REAL GILLIGAN�S ISLAND Returns for Second Season
TBS, television�s �very funny� network, is teaming up with several big names in the entertainment industry, including Whoopi Goldberg, Courteney Cox Arquette and David Arquette, Cedric the Entertainer, Pauly Shore and Bruce Nash of Nash Entertainment, for a slate of new comedic series and pilots for the network, announced Steve Koonin, executive vice president and chief operating officer for TBS and sister network TNT. The projects include three series that have been greenlit, a pilot order and a first-look development deal.
In addition, TBS has set Wednesday, June 8, as the premiere date for the second season of THE REAL GILLIGAN�S ISLAND, the enormously popular reality show that ranked as cable�s #1 new reality show last year.
�TBS has a strong commitment to working with some of industry�s most unique talents to create funny, memorable original series for our audience of comedy lovers,� said Koonin. �We look forward to exploring the ideas these people bring to the network as TBS continues to build upon its �very funny� branding with innovative programming concepts.�
THE REAL GILLIGAN�S ISLAND second season, premiering Wednesday, June 8, at 9 p.m.
The show that ranked as cable's #1 new reality series of 2004 returns for a second outing as two teams of castaways who personify the original Gilligan�s Island characters are stranded on an island and challenged to find a way off. This new installment of the series includes a love triangle in which one of the Professors and one of the Gilligans vie for the affections of one of the Mary Anns. It also includes one of the Gingers being rushed to the hospital after an accident. THE REAL GILLIGAN�S ISLAND is executive-produced by Mike Fleiss (The Bachelor, The Bachelorette). The father/son team of Sherwood Schwartz, the creator of the original Gilligan�s Island sitcom, and Lloyd Schwartz also serve as executive producers. Lisa Levenson (The Bachelor, The Bachelorette) and Scott Jeffress (The Bachelor, The Bachelorette) serve as co-executive producers for Next Entertainment.
SKETCH OFF (working title) pilot presentation from Whoopi Goldberg�s One Ho Productions
TBS has ordered a pilot presentation for SKETCH OFF (working title), a series that will travel across the United States in search of the best sketch-comedy troupe. It comes from Whoopi Goldberg�s One Ho Productions, with Goldberg, production partner Tom Leonardis (Whoopi) and Sue Fellows (The Chris Rock Show) serving as executive producers and Paul Scheer (Upright Citizens Brigade) serving as co-executive producer.
LOSER LEAVES TOWN greenlit series created by Bruce Nash of Nash Entertainment
TBS is giving two feuding neighbors the chance to hash out their differences, once and for all, in LOSER LEAVES TOWN, a new original series created by Bruce Nash of Nash Entertainment (Outback Jack, Meet My Folks). The show will pit two feuding neighbors against each other in a series of challenging competitions, at the end of which, the loser must move to a new neighborhood. Feuding neighbors interested in auditioning for the show can log onto http://tbs.com for information. Nash is one of the most creative producers in television. His company, Nash Entertainment, is responsible for many of the top-rated programs on television and is expanding into scripted series, with the recently announced project If the South Won the Civil War. He also has a variety of features in development at Revolution (To Wally Ward), Warner Brothers, Paramount and Walden Media, as well as several made-for-television movies in the works. LOSER LEAVES TOWN is being executive-produced by Nash and Scott Satin (Outback Jack, Meet My Folks).
DAISY DOES AMERICA (working title) greenlit series from Courteney Cox and David Arquette�s Coquette Productions
TBS has ordered nine episodes of DAISY DOES AMERICA (working title), a new comic series produced by Courteney Cox Arquette and David Arquette�s Coquette Productions and starring British actress-comedian Daisy Donovan (Daisy Daisy, Millions, The 11 O�Clock Show). Serving as executive producer on the series is Brad Kuhlman (One Bad Trip, FM Nation, Senseless Acts of Video), with Peter Mehlman (Seinfeld) and Brian & Mark Gunn (Bring It On, MTV�s 2ge+her) serving as creative consultants. In DAISY DOES AMERICA (working title), UK-based comedian Donovan is on the road to becoming an All American Girl. This isn�t easy, considering she is more British high society and knows nothing about being American. Donovan will explore opportunities and people across the USA, exposing the holes in the American way of life through her hapless attempts to embrace the American dream. Along the way, she pokes fun at herself and the characters she comes across. Donovan first appeared on British television in the series The 11 O�Clock Show, featuring mock interviewer Ali G. She then starred in, wrote and produced her own series Daisy Daisy, which was followed by the series Does Doug Know? Coquette Productions is the Los Angeles-based production company formed by Courteney Cox Arquette and David Arquette in 2004. Coquette is currently under a first look agreement for scripted programming with Warner Bros. Television. Focusing on a variety of genres, Coquette�s recent projects in development include Friends in the Morning for UPN, The Fall and Rise of Taylor Kennedy for HBO, Dirt for F/X and Midnightly News for FOX.
MINDING THE STORE greenlit series, starring Pauly Shore
As previously announced, TBS is giving down-but-not-out comedian Pauly Shore (Encino Man, Jury Duty) the chance to get his mother�s world-famous Comedy Store back on track, while also giving his own career a boost. The Comedy Store is the place where such comedians as Jim Carrey, Richard Pryor and David Letterman got their starts. The half-hour series, slated to premiere in Fourth Quarter 2005, comes to TBS from Shapiro/Grodner Productions (Big Brother) and Bayonee Entertainment, with Arnold Shapiro, Allison Grodner and Rob Lee executive-producing.
First-look development deal with Cedric the Entertainer and Eric Rhone�s Bird and a Bear
TBS has signed a first-look development deal with Bird and a Bear, the production company for Cedric the Entertainer and his production partner, Eric Rhone. TBS will have first rights to any reality show the company creates over the next year.
TBS is television�s �very funny� network, serving as home to such hot contemporary comedies as Sex and the City, Everybody Loves Raymond, Family Guy, Seinfeld and Friends; high-profile original series, such as the The Real Gilligan�s Island and Outback Jack; blockbuster movies; and hosted movie showcases.
Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, is a major producer of news and entertainment product around the world and the leading provider of programming for the basic cable industry.
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