'Kath & Kim': Is NBC's anticipated comedy undergoing an extreme makeover?

[Brian Damage]

The 100-day work stoppage brought on by the writers' strike prompted the broadcast nets to usher a number of scripts straight to series. But skipping the development season doesn't necessarily mean a project will be trouble-free. Case in point: Rumors persist that NBC's Kath & Kim — an adaptation of the Aussie smash that stars Molly Shannon (pictured) and Selma Blair as a dysfunctional mom and daughter — will scrap most of its pilot and reshoot under a new director, now that helmer Paul Feig (The Office) has left the comedy.

But NBC honcho Ben Silverman contacted EW.com exclusively to explain that while Feig has left the project, only a "couple of scenes" will be reshot in anticipation of Kath & Kim's fall berth. (Silverman said he will announce the show's time slot — which will likely be on Thursdays — during NBC's portion of the annual TV critics press tour on Monday in Beverly Hills). "We want to open it up visually," Silverman says of the reshoot. "We didn't want the style to define it; we wanted to let the characters and comedy define it. When you're feeling good about something you want to double down. The cast chemistry is unbelievable. It's the funniest comedy I've seen this early in development." (Additional reporting by Michael Ausiello)

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