Showtime Bolsters Comedy Lineup

LOS ANGELES, May 5:
Showtime has given a second-season order to Tracey Ullman’s State of the
Union, and has taken on a new
comedy series from British comedian Marc Wootton.

Season two of Tracey
Ullman’s State of the Union will
begin production in the fall and will air on Showtime in 2009. The seven new
episodes will once again be executive produced by Ullman, along with her
husband, Allan McKeown, and she will also write the episodes.

Marc Wootton’s
yet-untitled six-episode series will feature character-driven sketches from the
British comedian, and will go into production and premiere on Showtime in 2009.
The show will be directed and executive produced by Misha Manson-Smith, with
Michael Rizzo as the co-executive producer.

"I won't hold it
against them that both are from the U.K.," commented Robert Greenblatt,
the president of entertainment for Showtime Networks, "but Tracey Ullman
is the veteran genius who continues to impress us with her versatility, while
Marc Wootton is the up-and-comer who will surprise our audience with his own
unique voice. This is an embarrassment of riches for us in the comedy
department."

—By Kristin
Brzoznowski