C4i Sells Animated Adult Comedy to E4

LONDON, March 21: Channel 4 International, part of the Digital Rights
Group, has licensed the stop-motion animated adult comedy series Rick &
Steve: The Happiest Gay Couple in the World to British digital channel
E4, for premiere this fall.

The 6×22-minute animated series is produced by Cuppa Coffee Productions,
Posh Pictures and MTV Networks’ digital cable channel Logo. Rick &
Steve: The Happiest Gay Couple in the World airs in the U.S. on Logo,
with a second season set for broadcast in the U.S. later in 2008.

Distributor Channel 4 International has secured deals with other
broadcasters worldwide, including Kanal 9 in Sweden, TVNZ in New Zealand,
Nelonen in Finland, VRT in Belgium and Virgin 17 in France.

Rick & Steve: The Happiest Gay Couple in the World is set in West
Lahunga Beach, where Rick and Steve live in perfect harmony in their fabulously
decorated double-income-no-children home. However, this harmony ends when
Rick’s lifelong lesbian friend Kirsten asks him to be the father of her child;
there’s just one catch—Kirsten’s wife Dana and Rick’s husband Steve are
mortal enemies. As the insults fly, the cast of characters may bicker and bite,
but they will always be there for each other. The series features the voice
talents of Alan Cumming (The L Word, X2), Peter Paige (Queer
As Folk), Margaret Cho (I'm the One
That I Want), Billy West (Futurama) and Wilson Cruz (Party of Five, He’s Just
Not That Into You).

Patrick Roberts, the VP of international sales at Channel 4
International, commented: “We are very pleased to have E4 onboard as the cult
of Rick & Steve spreads throughout the world. The channel has a
reputation for acquiring fresh and contemporary programming appealing to the
lucrative yet elusive 16-to-35 age group, so this is a fantastic indication of
the quality and appeal of the show for potential broadcasters worldwide.”

—By Irene Lew