'Are We There Yet' Nears 90-Episode Pickup At TBS

[Brian Damage]

I hear TBS is finalizing a deal to order 90 additional episodes of the Ice Cube/Joe Roth-produced comedy series Are We There Yet?, bringing the total order to the sitcom based on the 2005 feature starring Ice Cube to 100 episodes. This marks the third straight series from distributor Dembar-Mercury to receive a massive pickup following a trial 10-episode run on TBS and the first for a non-Tyler Perry show. I hear Debmar-Mercury is planning to take out Are We There Yet? in syndication shortly, following the template it developed with Perry for House of Payne that was also used for Perry’s Meet the Browns. The pickup also establishes Ali LeRoi, along with Perry, as the leading black showrunners having created and run two consecutive series that have gone the distance. Before Are We There Yet? LeRoi co-created and executive produced Everybody Hates Chris with Chris Rock. Vince Totino is an executive producer and Revoution financed with Cubevision producing.

With House of Payne, Meet the Browns and Are We There Yet? TBS reaffirms its status as the only network doing African American sitcoms at the moment. (BET is looking to get in the field with the upcoming series The Game and Let's Stay Together.) I hear Are We There Yet’s 10 episode trial run averaged an 1.9 rating, just shy of the 2.0 that would’ve automatically triggered the 90-episode order. Still, the show was considered a solid performer for TBS and the network started pickup discussions with the producers and Debmar-Mercury shortly after Are We There Yet’s 10-episode run ended on June 30.

The series stars Terry Crews in the central role of Nick, played in the movie by Ice Cube. It is executive produced by Ice Cube, who also has a recurring role on the show, Roth, Matt Alvarez, Vince Totino and LeRoi. Roth's Revoution financed the project, and Cube's Cube Vision is producing the series. Are We There Yet? was put together by WME, which is also behind House of Payne and Meet the Browns.

http://www.deadline.com/2010/08/are-...xt/#more-60602

[Pavan]

TBS Orders 90 Additional Episodes of Hit Series ARE WE THERE YET?

From Revolution Studios and Cube Vision, Distributed by Debmar-Mercury


TBS has ordered an additional 90 episodes of the hit sitcom ARE WE THERE YET? following this summer’s highly successful 10-episode run. The series, which stars Terry Crews (Everybody Hates Chris) and Essence Atkins (Half and Half), is produced by Revolution Studios and Cube Vision and distributed by Debmar-Mercury. Revolution’s Joe Roth and Vince Totino and Cube Vision’s Ice Cube and Matt Alvarez serve as executive producers, along with award-winning show-runner Ali LeRoi. In addition to executive producing, Ice Cube plays a recurring guest starring role.

“ARE WE THERE YET? has proven itself to be an extremely strong addition to TBS’s comedy lineup,” said Michael Wright, executive vice president, head of programming for TBS, TNT and Turner Classic Movies (TCM). “ARE WE THERE YET? attracts a young, diverse audience, making it an especially good fit for our Wednesday night slate of original sitcoms.”

In ARE WE THERE YET?, Crews and Atkins play Nick and Suzanne, a newly married couple whose blended family faces the challenges of everyday life. Teala Dunn and Coy Stewart co-star as Lindsey and Kevin, Nick and Suzanne’s 14 and 10-year-old children. Keesha Sharp (Why Did I Get Married Too?) is Suzanne’s best friend, who has a taste for men and the finer things in life. Comedian Christian Finnegan plays Nick’s best friend and owner of a sports memorabilia store. Ice Cube plays a recurring guest starring role as Suzanne’s brother.

ARE WE THERE YET? premiered June 2 as part of TBS’s enormously popular Wednesday lineup of original sitcoms. The series went on to rank among ad-supported cable’s Top 10 new series for the quarter, averaging 2.8 million viewers and 1.5 million adults 18-49. ARE WE THERE YET? also scored as the #1 show on all of television in delivery of African-American adults 18-34 and 18-49 for the second quarter.