THE EVENT (NO, NOT THAT ONE...)

[9.18 - French Time] ABC Entertainment group president Steve McPherson resigned yesterday. The programming exec is replaced by ABC Family President Paul Lee.

Prior to joining ABC Family in April 2004, British Paul Lee was CEO and founder of BBC America. Lee rebuilt ABC Family and must now rebuild the mothership network after a lousy year for its scripted series. A year epitomized by the predictable demise of high concept Lost wannabe FlashForward.

Things are not better for ABC's summer original shows like Scoundrels, an eight-episode dramedy based on Outrageous Fortune - a hit drama from New Zealand (http://tvbythenumbers.com/2010/07/26/tv-ratings-family-guy-leads-fox-big-brother-bigger-scoundrels-shrinking-away/58152). Not only remaking a cult Kiwi show already unsuccessfully remade twice is certainly not the best idea but Scoundrels's male lead Neal McDonough exited the show three days into the filming (http://www.deadline.com/2010/03/no-sex-please-im-neal-mcdonough/).

We'll see how this management shakeup impacts ABC's upcoming slate for 2010-2011. With its new shows like the hyped No Ordinary Family (which looks like a live-action The Incredibles meets Heroes), or a returning show like the struggling unnecessary remake of Kenneth Johnson's classic V.

http://www.deadline.com/2010/07/changes-imminent-at-abc-entertainment/
http://www.deadline.com/2010/07/the-network-builder-former-war-reporter-paul-lee-goes-for-a-three-peat-at-abc/
http://www.deadline.com/2010/07/numerological-irony-steve-mcpherson-ben-silverman-out-on-the-same-date/
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i0cbf0f1b5c08147a0fd6969e9175cccc?pn=2
http://www.disneyabctv.com/bios/bio_paulee.shtml

MEN NOT BEHAVING BADLY

[20.20 - French Time] Not only remaking a cult Kiwi show already unsuccessfully remade twice is certainly not the best idea but things seem not to bode well for ABC's dramedy Scoundrels, an eight-episode series due to be aired this summer.

We knew ABC made a casting change three days into the shooting, replacing Neal McDonough (Medical Investigation, Desperate Housewives) by David James Elliott (JAG). But She Who Must Be Read, our dear Nikki Finke of Deadline.com, tells us why: love scenes. McDonough is a family man and a Catholic, and he has always made it clear that he won't do sex scenes. And ABC knew that, adds Nikki.

Scoundrels is the US version of Outrageous Fortune, a comedy/drama from New Zealand with a more than prestigious reputation. Shown in its country on TV3 since 2005, it is the longest-running local drama and a cult favourite there. Created by James Griffin and Rachel Lang, Outrageous Fortune is about Cheryl West (Robyn Malcolm), wife of a criminal sentenced to four years, who decides to move out her family of the crime business.

In the UK ITV remade the show as Honest (2008), with Amanda Redman - star of BBC's New Tricks. And Scoundrels is the second attempt by ABC to adapt Outrageous Fortune in the US after a pilot called Good Behavior (2008), with Catherine O'Hara.

Scoundrels stars Virginia Madsen as the family matriarch and McDonough was to play her husband (now played by Elliott).

http://www.deadline.com/2010/03/no-sex-please-im-neal-mcdonough/

OUTRAGEOUS MISFORTUNE

[21.40 - French Time] Virginia Madsen will be the lead in ABC's dramedy Scoundrels, an eight-episode show due to be aired this summer.

Scoundrels is the US version of Outrageous Fortune, a comedy/drama from New Zealand with a more than prestigious reputation. Shown in its country on commercial TV station TV3 since 2005, it is the longest-running local drama and a cult favourite in New Zealand. Created by James Griffin and Rachel Lang, Outrageous Fortune is about Cheryl West (Robyn Malcolm), wife of a criminal sentenced to four years, who decides to move out her family of the crime business.

In the UK ITV remade the Kiwi show as Honest (2008), with Amanda Redman - star of BBC's New Tricks. And Scoundrels is the second attempt by ABC to adapt Outrageous Fortune in the US after a pilot called Good Behavior (2008), with Catherine O'Hara.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i6e742a66c22a255220652ce8ee56ef52

See also:

http://tattard2.blogspot.com/2009/07/fortune-kiwis.html