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Feature writer Adam Sztykiel, co-writer of Todd Phillips’ upcoming feature film laugher Due Date as well as Made of Honor, is transitioning to television. He’s got a comedy project at NBC and is writing it with veteran TV scribe Rob Cohen who is supervising the script for Man of the House, a Mr. Mom role reversal family show. This marks a rare foray into family comedy for NBC, which has been focused on workplace and romantic relationship half-hours for the past few years. In a rare cross-pollination between vertically-integrated congloms, ABC Studios and studio-based Mark Gordon Co are producing for NBC, with Gordon and Andrea Shay executive producing alongside Sztykiel and Cohen. Known mostly for its drama portfolio, which includes Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice and Army Wives, the Mark Gordon Co made comedy development a priority this season and has sold 5 half-hour projects so far: 3 to ABC, 1 to Fox, and 1 to NBC.
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wow that sounds like a breathtakingly original idea.
This might have been cute or funny in the 60′s or 70′s. NBC is about 40 years behind the times. Can’t they come up with something original????
And now on behalf of all TV writers who spend more than 4 seconds coming up with a hook, AHHHHHHHH!!!!!
Name a recent successful comedy that has a worthwhile/noteworthy ‘hook’… They’re all the same — thin variations on the same old sitcom set-ups, it’s execution that matters. If the characters are well drawn, the writing is engaging and the casting inspired, then it’ll do well. If they’re not it’ll fail like so many other bad shows.
They made this show years ago with a pre-Vic Mackey Michael Chiklis. It was called Daddio and it was awful.
I guess everyone said…..”what about MR. MOM as a tv series?”
ahhhhhhh yes……nobody remembers that movie!!
if you know better how come you’re sitting at home reading deadline?
you can read deadline at work, too, smart guy. it’s on this thing they have everywhere now called the internet. your snark doesn’t invalidate nosebetter’s point. this is a very stale idea.
I remember – oh, Michael Keaton, why have you left us? Actually, if they brought back MK I might watch this show. Otherwise, never.
Yeah! They’re remaking everything else these days….why not call it MR. MOM and be done with it. Bring in Michael Keaton as the Grandpa….he’s almost 60 and would be hilarious!
Good for Sztykiel- he’s a fantastic writer and despite all his success he’s still one of the easiest to work with, most humble, down-to-earth, appreciative people in the business. I’m sure this project will rock!
NBC is a genius for going ahead with this project. Especially since they had so much success with it the last time they tried it and called it DADDIO. Oh wait…
Ironically, even if NBC does come up with an original, intriguing show again some day – and that’s a big if, but it could happen – I probably won’t be motivated enough to try and find the network on my dial.
I loved how some people still log on when NBC announces a new deal to say it’ll fly. You know, the way they did when The Event and The Chase and Outlaw were announced.
People like Cohen and the writer mentioned here need to step back and realize that working with NBC can be a career death knell, or at least a significant impediment to future success. It’s better to take less money and go with a network where not every single project disappears into a critical and popular black hole.
Adam will have an awesome take on this and Rob Cohen is one of the most hilarious writers around. Can’t wait to see it!
Adam will def. have an awesome take and ROb is is Einstein brilliant.
Signed Adam and Rob
Besides being extremely talented, Adam is also a great guy. Looking forward to it.
Congrats to Rob and Adam! Adam’s an awesome comedic writer. I was a fan of his film, Maid of Honor, and I’m excited to see who they cast! Hey, he’s not inventing the wheel here, but at least it’s not another reality show about people who hoard cats!
Made of Honor was brutal. And if he’s so AWESOME, he should be inventing something new. Lots of writers out here who have NEW ideas.
As far as the lead, I’m pulling for Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino.
Whoa. On the nose title and a tired, arch premise. It’s 1995 again!!!
good for andrea shay! she’s the best part of the mark gordon company.
Can we ban the phrase “reinventing the wheel”? The bar’s too high. The wheel is REALLY GOOD. It’s been around forever, has a billion uses and it’s unrealistic to expect someone to match it as a revolutionary achievement.
And because of that…
The phrase is often used as an an acceptable excuse as to why something is unoriginal. It’s become our community’s lazy secret handshake, code for, “Well, most of us are unoriginal, so it’s okay if we’re not coming up with anything fresh.”
I know what you’re thinking, “Hey, I don’t suck. I’m really good.” And maybe you are. (Although, probably not. Be honest.) Even if you’re the Beatles of TV and movie writing, the suits probably won’t recognize it. They’ll turn your Penny Lane into “Dancin’ On The Ceiling.”
So, instead of “it’s not reinventing the wheel,” how about something encouraging like, “Hey, at least they’re paying their mortgage.”
I don’t know what the haters are talking about. I’m genuinely happy that NBC is buying a new kind of comedy pilot! I have nothing against their Thursday night lineup (love 30 Rock and Community), but NBC desperately needs new comedies for a different audience and I think a family comedy is the way to go. Both these guys have great track records (Sztykiel is one of the funniest comedy writers in town) and I think it will be a huge hit.
No reason to get in a huff people. I doubt this show will ever make it to air. And if it does, it will soon be nixed. By the way, whoever said that Maid of Honor was a good movie should be permanently banned from posting anything.
The writer is a hack. He knows it. We all know it. But good for him for continuing to con Hollywood into thinking he has talent. It’s either that or he just works at a ridiculously low rate.
Look, the reality is this concept sold not because it was fresh or interesting (it’s not) but because there was a hot writer and a big name producer on it. If a working writer who wasn’t a big deal had this idea his agents would tell him to go back to the drawing board and wonder why they’re still repping him. This is not to say the show won’t be successful, if it’s brilliantly executed, it probably will be. But, in general, it’s easier for a hot wrtier to sell a weak concept than for a regular writer to sell a brilliant one. It may not be fair, but it’s just the way it is.
I’m not a hater of any sort. I genuinely appreciate when anyone sells in this climate. But this concept is void of any creativity and I blame the networks. It seems to me that they (networks) have given up on making any good television. it’s become about names and numbers and not quality. the cold reality is no matter how much we bitch and complain about the state of television, it’s not going to change until the networks decide they want good tv again. So unless you had a hit movie or a name that won’t get an executive fire, keep writing your spec and don’t quit your day job!
Okay, when has TV not been about names and numbers? It’s TV. It was invented to sell stuff using moving pictures instead of simply with sound the way radio did before it. lighten up folks, it’s all about execution and casting. ideas are a dime a dozen. and TV is as good as it’s always been and ever will be, so enjoy…even if nobody wants to buy from you. it may not be your idea they don’t want, it may just be you.
Although a Mr. Mom premise doesn’t excite me too much, it’s too soon to pass judgment. Premises are really overrated, its all about execution. If I told you I wanted to do a tv show about 6 friends and their lives as single twenty-somethings, would you get excited about that show? How about a show about people working in a paper office in small town new england? How about another show about friends lounging around, except one of them is telling a story to his kids about how he met their mother? Or maybe a couple of burnouts at a community college? These all sound boring to me, but I love shows with these premises.
Here’s to hoping Sztykiel and Cohen bring fresh life to a premise that seemingly always intrigues us: parental role reversals. Good luck guys! You’ll need it.
Lotta schadenfreude against NBC here. Your pilot didn’t get picked up or something? They opened up 10 pm for dramas again, get over it. Hahahaha.
Anyone dismissing this based on the premise doesn’t know anything about developing for TV (which probably explains the bitterness). What makes a TV series are the characters and the execution (plus casting and all those other intangibles). Rarely does the original premise make or break a series. In fact, good shows will often spin off into a whole new direction after the pilot, especially in the hands of talented people who have the skill to see what works and what doesn’t. So those of you who are already shitting on this have no idea what it takes to even attempt to create good television.
Scranton, PA is not in New England.
I hope it’s not stolen from my original screenplay registered 2009. I have shut down projects before and will do it again. I’ve placed my work on the net and would be happy to see my work come to pass and get paid….even if it is in court….
Warning to writers…don’t put your work on the net… ever…..
PS How did you come up with the idea anyway? Let’s put a lie detector on that shall we?
If you haven’t read any of the comments here, your “original” screenplay from 2009 is already a rip off of an 80s movie. Sooo…crap a sock in it.
It’s true that TV is really all about execution not premise. A bunch of guys sitting around in a bar can be terrible or Cheers. But unless you have a lot of heat or very substantial credits, you will never get in the room or get your pilot read without a big idea. That is the paradox. A nothing idea from a guy who has a big movie coming out is exciting. A nothing idea from a guy who doesn’t is not.
YME,
You couldn’t shut down my MAC BOOK PRO, let alone a tv show, and the fact that you front like you’ve done so in the past is adorable.
And anyone who thinks Sztykiel can’t write because of MADE OF HONOR obviously hasn’t been working in the business long enough to remember when it went out on spec and sold… AS AN R-RATED COMEDY. The studio is responsible for the PG rated, Patrick Dempsey vehicle you see in line next to you as your checking out at the supermarket.
Dear Bitter People,
How can you judge a show that hasn’t even aired yet? There are no original ideas anymore. It’s all about the writing and execution. Lots of times shows get bought and made on “original” hooks that can’t sustain a series. At least let this air before you crap on it.