Farrellys Get 'Stupid' for NBC

[Brian Damage]

LOS ANGELES - Filmmakers Peter and Bobby Farrelly have joined forces with the producer of the U.S. version of The Office to bring the new British comedy I'm With Stupid to American viewers.
The series centers on a down-and-out guy who befriends a wheelchair-bound young man and winds up moving into his group home for the disabled. The show is described as exploring disability in a truthful and humorous way.

The pilot for the BBC 3 original earned kudos in Britain last year for its multidimensional portrayal of people with disabilities. Stupid was scheduled to begin its first multiepisode run Sunday on BBC 3.

Peter Farrelly is set to direct the pilot, and both brothers will serve as executive producers. They have covered disabilities in such films as The Ringer and Shallow Hal. Known for outrageous, high-concept comedies, their most recent feature credits include last year's Fever Pitch and 2003's Stuck on You.

Also executive producing is Ben Silverman, riding high with NBC's Emmy-winning The Office and ABC's promising newcomer Ugly Betty, an adaptation of the hit Colombian telenovela.

Wil Calhoun (Friends) will write the pilot.