You could probably classify the current comedies airing on the major networks into four different categories. You’ve got CBS’s Monday night lineup, which consists of traditionally formatted sitcoms (laugh-track and all). Then there’s NBC’s Thursday night block of hilariously quirky shows (30 Rock, The Office, etc). ABC has the dramedy thing going on with Desperate Housewives and Ugly Betty. Finally, there’s Fox. The network that seems to have mastered the art of primetime animated comedy series with shows like The Simpsons and Family Guy. So its not surprising that Fox is working on three new animated series.
For the first new series, Fox is looking to revive The Pitts, which was cancelled back in 2003. You might remember it if you happened to be watching Fox on one of the four nights that the show aired. The Pitts, which was cancelled after five episodes, was a live action series that was created by Mike Scully (The Simpsons) and centered on an unlucky family and.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Scully describes the new animated version of The Pitts as “The Simpsons Halloween episode every week.”. The Reporter also said that the studio is casting for the series and if the table read goes well The Pitts will be picked up for a full season without having to go through the whole presentation process.
Jack Black is set to exec-produce Relative Insanity, which will be an animated series about a “twentysomething guy who is trying to establish his life but is constantly sidetracked by the mishaps and adventures of his crazy family.”
And the third series, titled Mothballs, is being put together by the creators of Comedy Central’s wacky animated faux-reality show, Drawn Together, Matt Silverstein and Dave Jeser. According to The Hollywood Reporter, “Mothballs is about the Westings, a dysfunctional family who lives in the nursing home they own and operate. The show begins with the family's uptight patriarch and nursing home owner forced to place his vivacious estranged father into his tightly run facility.”
If all goes well for these three new shows, we can probably expect to see them premiere sometime in fall of 2008 or maybe early 2009.
