Comedy Central Unveils Projects in Development

NEW YORK: On the development slate for Comedy Central’s 2010-11 season are a range of projects that cover genres such as animation, sketch/variety and scripted narrative.

Series in production include Futurama, which returns for a new season on June 24; Russell Simmons Presents: Stand-Up at the El Ray, in which three up-and-coming comics perform stand up; and Big Lake, from executive producers Will Ferrell, Adam McKay and Chris Henchy. Further series slated to launch this fall include Nick Swardson’s Pretend Time, from Adam Sandler’s Happy Madison Productions and Sony Pictures Television. For the 2011 grid, there’s The Onion Sports Network (working title), a half-hour scripted comedy done in part with The Onion and The Onion News Network, and Workaholics, a workplace comedy featuring the Internet sketch group Mail Order Comedy.

Pilots and presentations—all with working titles—include Highdeas, based on the website of the same name that address questions posed by stoners; Jon Benjamin Has a Van, a newsmagazine sketch show; Live Sex Show, an interactive panel show that looks at all things sex; and Patrice Oneal’s Guide to White People, featuring the comedian offering his point of view on whiteness. Other pilots include Rich Dicks, based on the Funny or Die web short; Steel Panther, a loosely scripted docu-reality show about the ’80s hair band; and This Show Will Get You High, a sketch show of video shorts featuring stars from the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater. There are also two untitled projects, one featuring Andre Hyland and the other Bill Burr and Kevin Hart.

In the scripting/paper development stage are A**Holes, police procedural The Fuzz, Intercourse with Whitney Cummings, JC, The Jim Jeffries Show, Joe Squad, Mars, Midnight Drop Box, Nocturnal Mission, Supermax and Waiting…. Untitled projects include a series from Broken Lizard, the group behind the hits Super Troopers and Beer Fest, and another with musician/comedian Reggie Watts, who is currently opening for Conan O’Brien on his nationwide U.S. tour.

"The focus throughout our development process is to find performers, writers, directors and producers that project a strong, unique comedic voice, and then help them actualize their vision in the most unfiltered manner possible," said Kent Alterman, the head of original programming and production at Comedy Central. "With the current development slate, I think it’s safe to say we’re doing our part to end global hunger and foster world peace."