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ABC is developing Plan This, a comedy project loosely based on the life of Beverly Hills-based party planner to the stars Mindy Weiss. The single-camera project, from ABC Studios, will be written by Freaky Friday writer Heather Hach who will serve as co-executive producer. Anonymous Content’s Alex Goldstone and Elana Barry will executive produce the comedy, which has received a script commitment. Weiss has planned weddings and parties for such clients as Ellen Degeneres & Portia Rossi, Ashlee Simpson & Pete Wentz; Eva Longoria & Tony Parker; Heidi Klum & Seal; Gwen Stefani & Gavin Rossdale; Jackie & Adam Sandler; Kate Beckinsale & Len Weisman; and Trista & Ryan of ABC’s The Bachelorette televised wedding. Party planning is an area the networks have been trying to crack for some time with little success. The more notable efforts include the Fox/David E. Kelley series The Wedding Bells.
TV Editor Nellie Andreeva - tip her here.
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“Party planning is an area the networks have been trying to crack for some time with little success.”
Except for Party Down, which was brilliant and hilarious, and canceled.
Party Down was the best show on tv. Watch it at netflix.
Networks should take a cue from recently deceased ‘Party Down.’
Single Camera…
Modern Family, 30 Rock, and Arrested Development are my faves. But have the networks wondered why CBS Monday Comedies are so successful? Could it be because they are the only few (if not only) traditional multi-camera, live audience sitcoms on the air?
And the only single-camera comedy that’s a hit to match the big multi-camera comedies, “Modern Family,” is shot as a mock-documentary, which provides some of the speed (and emphasis on a few sets) of multi-camera. “30 Rock”‘s live episode provided another indication that when a comedy goes faster and cheaper it actually helps it connect with the audience.
Someday networks are going to realize that the absolute most limited form is the single-camera show that “looks like a movie.” They cost more money and make the audience laugh less. Single-camera comedies have been big hits, but when they’re shot fast, without fancy lighting and setups, and have something to brand them as comedies like a laugh track (M*A*S*H) or the documentary format. Until then they’ll keep going with comedies that are way too expensive and limited.
Adding, it’s not just about multi vs. single but what has the most upside in terms of reaching an audience. Most sitcoms from the ’60s were single-cam but they added laugh tracks, shot fast and kept the energy up, and often were big hits. “Modern Family” is single-cam but (while it’s not as good as its reputation) shoots fast, often uses longish takes for energy, and uses the mock-doc format to brand itself as a comedy the way the old single-cams used laugh tracks.
All these shows – Andy Griffith, M*A*S*H, Get Smart, Modern Family – prove that single-cam shows can be popular but they can’t afford to be over-produced and look like little unfunny movies.
This sounds great!
This sounds stupid.
This sounds like it could be great or stupid depending on execution!
I really disagree with this slamming of single camera comedies. Yes, CBS has had great success with multi-cams but they are generally derided by the creative community as being lame and overly broad. Two And A Half Men; Mike and Molly are such lowest common denominator shows (dick jokes and fat jokes). But the most critically acclaimed shows in the last decade have all been single cams– 30 Rock (3 Emmys Best Comedy) Modern Family (Emmy Best Comedy) Arrested Dev (Emmy Best Comedy). Seinfeld, Friends, Cheers were all great, but that is a while ago now and I think they would feel very dated today. Just as in Film, there is always going to be a distinction between quality and popularity. The Social Network is probably the best film of the year and while successful it is nowhere near the most popular. Everyone in the TV community knows that ratings trump everything else, but i think it’s very difficult to argue that in terms of quality in the last few years that single cams haven’t far outshone the more popular mutli-cams.
Certainly most of the critically-acclaimed comedies recently have been single-cam, though that arguably says more about limited tastes (“Modern Family” is no better written than a few multi-cam family comedies from the ’00s). The question is, why give up on the idea that comedies can be both good _and_ popular? The day that happens is the day TV ceases to exist as a viable medium.
What we’ve seen in the past 10 years is the creative community scoring multi-cam as limited and stale, which of course it isn’t (single-cam comedies pre-date “I Love Lucy” and dominated the ’60s, and comedy performed in front of an audience isn’t sneered at except in sitcoms). Why leave Chuck Lorre to dominate live-audience comedy and have its fans all to himself? When is somebody going to put together a “Seinfeld” that has the best of both worlds – a sophisticated creator’s sensibility combined with jokes that actually make a roomful of human beings laugh, instead of just making writers and execs laugh at a table read?
This project sounds great! Mindy planned my wedding – she is the greatest and is so funny. I hope this is the next big hit on ABC!
wow heather hach is alive. I met her when she was unaffected Hollywood person. She had her 30 seconds of fame and disappeared. PLease tell me one single script she has written in the past 5 years which you read and put down and said “wow this writer has an original voice or “i peed my pants because her writing is so damn funny”. I will answer my question. Her 30 seconds are up.
just saying it like it is.
Goldstone is on fire people. He reps the writers of Life as we know it. Heather is great. He reps other people too. Help me people I want to help my chances on my crush on Alex I just don’t think he represents anyone else of substance. Hey he is still cute right.
dear truth teller,
hach never disappeared. she wrote a broadway musical, was nominated for a tony award, wrote a novel (sold the rights to that too) and this year sold a pitch for a million bucks in a bidding war.
She also had 2 kids.
Just as long as Lara Schriftman isn’t involved.
My life is SOOOOO funny! This one time, I met Gwen Stefani and that was sooo funny! And I live in Beverly Hills and make plenty of money and that is soooo funny!
Hach….hach hach sorry i was coughing. “Sorry” you are so DAMN funny where are you repped. I no CAA needs to sign you you are SO FUNNY.