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Nine reveals comedy line-up

Hot in Cleveland, S*** My Dad Says, Mr. Sunshine, Episodes and Mike and Molly are all coming to Nine.

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Nine has unveiled 5 comedy acquisitions including Hot in Cleveland (TV Land),  S*** My Dad Says (CBS), Mr. Sunshine (ABC),  Episodes (BBC) and Mike and Molly (CBS).

The comedies include such names as Betty White, William Shatner, Matthew Perry, Matt LeBlanc, Jane Leeves and Allison Janney.

“We already have the two most popular comedies on air with Two and a Half Men and Big Bang Theory and I’m really pleased we can follow their success with a massive lineup of new programs,” Michael Healy, Nine’s Director of Programming, said.

Nine says the comedies will be fast-tracked from the US straight to Australian screens, to air on Nine later in 2010 and into 2011, however Hot in Cleveland, produced by Sean Hayes, already premiered in the US this month.

Hot in Cleveland stars Valerie Bertinelli, Wendie Malick and Jane Leeves as three past-their-prime entertainment industry veterans from Los Angeles. Their lives are changed when their Paris-bound plane lands in Cleveland, Ohio, where they find a welcoming community that is less shallow, youth-obsessed and weight-conscious than LA. One of them leases a home in Cleveland with a sassy caretaker played by Betty White.

S… My Dad Says is a sitcom based on the real Twitter feed of the same name. It was created by Justin Halpern using the actual quotes from his father Sam. With William Shatner, Will Sasso, Nicole Sullivan.

Mike & Molly comes from the incredibly successful executive producer Chuck Lorre, who is also behind Two and a Half Men and Big Bang Theory. Set in Chicago, it follows the lives of two overweight people who struggle to lose weight and fall in love. With Bill Gardell, Melissa McCarthy.

Mr Sunshine stars Matthew Perry as Ben Donovan, a sports stadium manager who goes through a mid-life crisis when he turns 40 while dealing with the unusual demands of his job and his unpredictable boss. With
Allison Janney.

Episodes, starring Matt LeBlanc, centres on a British husband-and-wife comedy team who are lured by Hollywood to produce a new version of their hit series for an American audience. Initially thrilled by the prospect, they soon realise what the American execs have in store for their precious show – including replacing the erudite British lead character with the quintessential comedy star Matt LeBlanc – and begin to sink deeper into the quicksand that is the TV business. Before long it is clear that not just the couple’s show is at stake, perhaps their marriage is too. From David Crane, creator of Friends with Tasmin Greig, Stephen Mangan.

21 Responses

  1. Love Wendie Mallick but from the brief glimpse of the pilot I wasn’t too impressed with Hot In Cleveland, hope it improves.

    S*** My Dad Says from what I’ve watched is terrible and such a sad way for Shatner to go after he was so brilliant in Boston Legal.

  4. Was just reading that Hot In Cleveland got record numbers for TV Land. It does look good and has a great cast although I’m mainly interested in seeing the gorgeous Jane Leeves from Frasier back on screen.

  5. ‘We already have the two most popular comedies on air…’ Modern Family ring a bell, pretty sure since it premiered it has out rated 2.5men and BBT each week, a simple ‘of’ and slight word rearrangement and the statement would be true (but i guess its all about spin, even if it is a lie).

    Cleveland is a cable show which means it probably won’t have the broad appeal of a network show. also its basic cable so it wont have the budget-but hopefully the writing is good because the cast is excellent , hopefully it can be at least a little like the golden girls and then it has hope.

    Shat My Dad Says brilliant twitter account and generally a funny view on life, however this is one show that needed to have the freedom of cable. if the trailer released a couple of weeks ago is anything to go by it has been so watered down by the network it isn’t funny. its bazaar to me how we have come so far forward with TV shows like in the ability to discuss sex but so far backwards in disscussing anything else.

    M&M is by Chuck Lorre so will probably start soft (or quickly drop from a strong debut) but will slowly build. haven’t really heard much about this show but will depend on the support cast cause you need someone beautiful there.

    Eps/Sunshine both look good but they have Aus audiences have always shunned smart comedies (and drama for that matter). obviously there are exceptions, like Modern Family, but there are plenty that slip by 30Rock, The Office, early seasons of Scrubs (ie when it was smart), Community, basically anything British.

    of course the other issue is the broadcasting network…

  6. why bother Nine? your just gonna take it off after 1 or 2 eps! face it, any comedy that isn’t Big Bang or 2.5 Men don’t do well! just give them to GO like you did with Community and other comedies on GO and never try to air comedy on Nine again!

  10. I think Mr Sunshine is meant to be a dry humor, maybe not to everyone’s liking, I liked what I saw and hope it’s a hit. Just don’t like Nine saying “…to air on Nine later in 2010 and into 2011.” So I guess some of these new show might not be fast tracked at all, like Hot in Cleveland which I don’t think will show up locally until late this year, hope I’m wrong.

  11. I was looking forward 2 Mr Sunshine ( i love Matthew Perry even on Studio 60 and love Allison Janney) i then saw the trailer in May, it was so terrible. I read that the only reason it was picked up is because of the penalty ABC would have to pay if they passed on the project.

  12. The all look good but wonder about 9s definition of fast tracking given Hot in Cleveland had 2 eps aired already LOL

    Saw the promo for Mr. Sunshine with Matthew Perry (Friends) and it looks good, Mike and Molly with Melissa McCarthy (Gilmore Girls) might be worth a watch too, will have to look up Episodes but being a BBC show it should be good.

    I hope the main channel gives them a decent go or at least keeps them on GO! and fast tracked…

  13. interesing they don’t mention better together, the paul reiser show, or running wilde. which were expected to go to them.

    heard good things about hot in cleveland. and episodes seems to be generating talk. but didn’t laugh once in the trailers for mike&molly, $#*!, or Mr. Sunshine.

  15. Episodes is a fantastic idea and is easily the most exciting of these, but sounds too high concept for Nine. I’m curious to see how that one goes, at least.

    On the other hand, I’m sure Mike and Molly – which sounds the dullest of the bunch – will do well.

  16. I have seen the first two episodes of Hot in Cleveland at a mate’s place only yesterday. But I’m going to wait until it starts in Australia as it is a fantastic show. Bit worried about how it would go without Betty though, as she adds the missing sass it needs.

  19. Michael Healy: “We already have the two most popular comedies on air with Two and a Half Men and Big Bang Theory”

    Interesting comment when both Modern Family and Glee outrate Big Bang at the moment.

    Anyway, standard comment: “S*** My Dad Says” read “bleep my dad says” is dumb and impractical.

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