Canadian broadcaster passes on Kath & Kim

Canada’s CTV Network has resisted a chance to buy NBC’s adaptation of Kath & Kim.

It was one of two shows the network declined, given the offering from NBC was based largely on a script alone.

“We were offered some shows last week but they were based on kind of looking behind door No. 2, so we passed,” said Suzanne Boyce, CTV’s president of programming. “TV is an emotional experience. It depends on the writing, it depends on who’s casting. So much can go wrong.”

The writer’s strike has disrupted production on pilots, forcing networks to present via scripts. CTV also passed on My Own Worst Enemy.

Instead the show, starring Molly Shannon (pictured) and Selma Blair, has been rolled into a package NBC sold to rival CanWest, ironically owners of Network TEN (it doesn’t mean TEN has any rights).

Meanwhile the Americans are describing the foxy ladies as “two brassy women who prefer the finer things in life like acrylic nails, big hair and faux diamond chips.”

Here’s how it’s been pitched to buyers:

Kath & Kim — They’re the most dysfunctional duo in suburbia. Kath Day (Molly Shannon, NBC’s Saturday Night Live) is the mom, a foxy, 40-something divorce who finally has time for herself and her valiant search for love. Kim Day (Selma Blair, “Hellboy,” “Hellboy II”) is the daughter, a self-absorbed princess recently separated from her husband who finds consolation in stuffing her face. When Kim decides to move back home, Kath reluctantly agrees — but to Kim’s chagrin, Kath is not about to cater to her every whim as she has in the past.

Based on the most successful comedy in Australia of the same name, Kath and Kim are two brassy women who prefer the finer things in life like acrylic nails, big hair and faux diamond chips. The series is produced by Universal Media Studios and Reveille. The executive producer/writer is Michelle Nader (The King of Queens) and the executive producer/director is Paul Feig (Freaks and Geeks, The Office). Gina Riley, Jane Turner and Rick McKenna also are executive producers.

Source: ktka.com, theglobeandmail