Brian Damage
10-02-2006, 03:42 PM
FOX, which is looking for another animated series to round out its Sunday-night lineup, is turning to "Saturday Night Live" veteran Robert Smigel for help.
The network has ordered a pilot presentation for a show called "Animals" from Smigel and Greg Cohen ("King of the Hill"). The series would mine the animal kingdom for a parody of life in suburban America, the showbiz trade papers report.
Adam Sandler's production company, Happy Madison, is producing the pilot along with 20th Century Fox TV; Sandler and Smigel are friends from the actor's days on "SNL," and Smigel has had cameo roles in several of Sandler's movies, including "Happy Gilmore" and "Punch-Drunk Love."
Cohen and Smigel have also worked together in the past on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" and Smigel's Comedy Central series "TV Funhouse."
FOX has been looking for a new animated show to fill out its Sunday roster, which also includes "King of the Hill," "The Simpsons," "American Dad" and "Family Guy." The lone live-action show in the group, "The War at Home," is currently the least-watched ("King of the Hill" has yet to premiere this season), dropping close to 3 million viewers from its "Family Guy" lead-in thus far this season.
The network has ordered a pilot presentation for a show called "Animals" from Smigel and Greg Cohen ("King of the Hill"). The series would mine the animal kingdom for a parody of life in suburban America, the showbiz trade papers report.
Adam Sandler's production company, Happy Madison, is producing the pilot along with 20th Century Fox TV; Sandler and Smigel are friends from the actor's days on "SNL," and Smigel has had cameo roles in several of Sandler's movies, including "Happy Gilmore" and "Punch-Drunk Love."
Cohen and Smigel have also worked together in the past on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" and Smigel's Comedy Central series "TV Funhouse."
FOX has been looking for a new animated show to fill out its Sunday roster, which also includes "King of the Hill," "The Simpsons," "American Dad" and "Family Guy." The lone live-action show in the group, "The War at Home," is currently the least-watched ("King of the Hill" has yet to premiere this season), dropping close to 3 million viewers from its "Family Guy" lead-in thus far this season.