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by R. Thomas Umstead Premium Net's Affiliates Get 'Party Down,' 'Gravity' Early Hoping to build awareness of its two original comedy series, Starz will offer the first two episodes of [...]

While a handful of surprise network successes during the 2004-05 season have renewed industry enthusiasm for scripted series on broadcast television, prime time's recent good fortune has yet to trickle [...]

With another season going by without a breakout comedy hit, studios and networks are redoubling their efforts to think outside the box and come up with innovative comedic programming that [...]

Amazon Studios has approved the production of pilot episodes for six original comedy series to be screened on Amazon Prime Instant Video. Pilots receiving the best viewer response will go [...]

It is believed that the BBC is more and more unwilling to take the risk of launching new and mainstream hit comedy shows on its terrestrial channels. A paint-by-numbers approach to comedy commissioning is one of the reasons why the BBC is having difficulties in launching a new hit comedy. Other insights on the issue of the BBC playing safe are given.

Mary-Kate Olsen is returning to television with a co-starring role on Showtime's dark comedy 'Weeds.' On the Lionsgate-produced show, Olsen will play Tara, a devoted Christian girl living in the […]

Marsh McCall has been tapped to serve as executive producer/ showrunner on ABC's upcoming comedy series 'Carpoolers,' from ABC TV Studio. McCall's assignment on 'Carpoolers' stems from his overall deal [...]

ABC has the industry buzzing about the volume of its new series pickups. Late Sunday, the network added the comedy 'Miss/Guided' to its roster of new scripted series for next [...]

On the heels of the success of the ABC freshman dramedy 'Ugly Betty,' the show's executive producer Salma Hayek has inked an overall deal with the show's producer, ABC Studios. [...]

Will Arnett is reteaming with Will Ferrell by joining the cast of 'Semi-Pro,' a basketball comedy from New Line. Former New Line exec Kent Alterman is making his directorial debut [...]

ABC was in comedy mode Tuesday, picking up five half-hour pilots: 'The Call,' 'Sam I Am,' 'Carpoolers,' 'Family of the Year' and 'The Middle.' Fox also gave the green light [...]

In what would be a blockbuster pairing of sitcom stars, Kelsey Grammer and Patricia Heaton are in discussions to co-star in a comedy series, 'Action News,' created by writer-producers Steven [...]

Fox has given the green fight to a multi-camera comedy pilot from 'Gilmore Girls' creator Amy Sherman-Palladino. Tentatively titled 'The Return of Jezebel James,' the project is a female buddy [...]

Sandra Bullock is attached to star in and produce the comedy 'One of the Guys' for producer Todd Garner and 20th Century Fox. Currently in the pitch stage, the film's [...]

Fox has given a put pilot commitment to a multicamera comedy from veteran writer-producer Victor Fresco. The untitled project, from 20th Century Fox TV, revolves around a middle-class family and [...]

John Oliver (WME, Avalon, Bloom Hergott) will host a weekly comedy series for HBO, set to launch in 2014. Caption: John [...]

In the midst of putting the finishing touches on his network's fall prime-time schedule, Kevin Reilly is in full-on survivalist mode. The Fox entertainment chairman is stocking up on new [...]

NEW YORK -- Nickelodeon has picked up a series while lining up a development slate comprising more than 50 projects for 'NickMom,' the primetime, ad-supported comedy block and website that [...]

LOS ANGELES -- After a couple of months of negotiations, David Janollari has closed a deal to join MTV as executive vp scripted development. In the newly created position, Janollari [...]

Fox's King of the Hill, the second longest-running animated sitcom in TV history (behind The Simpsons), will wrap production this spring after more than 250 episodes. Waiting in the wings [...]

Broadcaster Telefe is remaking Spanish web Antena 3's hit comedy 'Aqui no hay quien viva' (Nobody Can Live Here). It is the first time Telefe has adapted a Spanish series [...]

Emmy winner Polly Bergen is joining ABC dramedy 'Desperate Housewives' as a recurring next season. She will play Lynette's (Felicity Huffman) room. Bergen's first episode on the ABC TV Studio-produced [...]

ABC is close to landing a Darren Star-produced comedy project, tentatively dubbed 'Literary Superstar,' starring Jenna Elfman as a book publicist. Single-camera laffer is written by Aussie novelist Matthew [...]

ABC is developing a half-hour comedy project based on the Geico Caveman ad. Produced by ABC TV Studio, the project revolves around three thirty-something 'cavemen' who battle bigotry in modern-day [...]

ABC is developing a half-hour comedy show about thirtysomething 'cavemen,' based on the GEICO ads, battling bigotry in modern-day Atlanta. The pilot was written by Joe Lawson, the Martin agency [...]

The making of Kombat Opera, a television opera series to be broadcasted on BBC2, is discussed. The series is written by Richard Thomas and co-produced by David Jackson. Each opera in the series is a mock at some popular television show.

Johnny Sneed ('House') will play Tommy in comedy pilot 'The Rules for Starting Over,' which stars Craig Bierko as a new divorce who hits the dating scene with his pals. [...]

Newcomer Kunal Nayyar and Simon Helberg have joined the CBS comedy pilot 'The Big Bang Theory,' about two brilliant physicists who meet a party girl. Nayyar and Helberg will play [...]

Platinum Studios, IDG Films and Relativity Media are financing and producing two back-to-back features based on comicbook series 'Witchblade.' Lensing is set to begin late next year in China. No [...]

Sony Pictures Television is developing eight comedy pilots for cable, the most the studio has ever taken on. And while Sony has long done business with cable, the abundance of [...]

Recreating the look and style of key scenes from classic movies on the budget of a BBC3 sitcom was a tail order for a first-time TV director whose previous experience [...]

E! ENTERTAINMENT TELEVISION is crafting a comedy pilot based on Los Angeles stage production In Their Own Words: Celebrity Autobiographies. The show, slated to debut on E! in March, will [...]