Matt LeBlanc Scores Showtime, BBC Sitcom

LOS ANGELES: Matt LeBlanc has teamed up with David Crane and Jeffrey Klarik for a new single-camera comedy series that is due to premiere on Showtime and BBC Two in 2010.

The six-episode Episodes has a show-within-a-show format, focusing on a British couple whose hit British series is turned into a dumbed-down American sitcom starring LeBlanc (as himself). Crane and Klarik created the series and Jimmy Mulville will also serve as executive producer through U.K-based Hat Trick. Filming begins in London and Hollywood this winter for a 2010 debut. The series is a co-production of Showtime and the BBC.

Showtime’s president of entertainment, Robert Greenblatt, commented: "What a thrill to have two giants of the comedy world like Klarik and Crane to satirize what they know best: the making (or un-making) of art. We jumped at the chance to get involved with this cock-eyed look at network television told through the eyes of unsuspecting British producers who don’t know what hit them when they enter the lion’s den of Hollywood. And Matt LeBlanc—wryly sending up his own image—is icing on the cake. This show complements our eclectic and critically-acclaimed lineup of half-hour comedies beautifully."

Klarik and Crane said: "To work with either Showtime or the BBC on this project would have been terrific. To have both involved is more than we could hope for. We feel like we have found the two perfect homes for this show."

Mulville added: "Both networks have an outstanding portfolio of exciting and innovative comedies, and it is an honor to be included amongst them. The scripts are brilliantly funny, and with Matt LeBlanc playing a hilarious version of himself, Episodes promises to be one of the treats of 2010."