New Bedford Falls Project: "1/4life"

[danguyf]

I can't wait! MSCL proved to be a valuable aid in navigating my late teen years, perhaps this show will assist me in figuring out my mid-to-late twenties.

[EricMontreal22]

I was just in a psych class where this dilemna was the focus (the 20somethign dilemna.) Apparantly we're all screwed thanks to the baby boomers. They spent their 20s when there was so much opportunity everywhere that they all had major degrees by 23-24, successfull careers by 26-28 and were made. of course my prof says that this also created the midlife crisis--something that never really existed before. because everything was handed to them they had no time in their 20s, or need, to discover themselves and only by their 40s, 50s did that catch up--hence the mid life crisis.

Now with degrees leading nowhere, etc etc peopel arehavign to deal with those midlife crisis issues of "who i truly am" etc in their 20s (that my prof thinksshould be dealt with in our 20s anyway). Hence the 1/4life syndrome.

Anyway if this gets off sounds like M/Z may have tapped into something a lot of people could get behind (which was part of the relative success of thirtysomething and, I'd say, My So-Called Life and even Once and Again--tapping into something that really people had never been able to relate to on tv and even movies before)

E

[Sascha]

Here's the official ABC press release (directly from http://www.abcmedianet.com/pressrel/index.html )

September 14,2004

ABC Television Network
PRESS RELEASE - ENTERTAINMENT - EDWARD ZWICK AND MARSHALL HERSKOVITZ RETURN TO ABC

EDWARD ZWICK AND MARSHALL HERSKOVITZ RETURN TO ABC
WITH A DRAMA THAT EXPLORES GEN "WHY?"

Network Makes a Pilot Commitment to "1/4life," an Ensemble One-Hour to Be Produced
Under The Bedford Falls Company and Touchstone Television Banners

Emmy Award-winning and Academy Award-nominated producers Edward Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz return to television, as ABC makes a pilot commitment to "1/4life," a drama to be produced by The Bedford Falls Company in association with Touchstone Television, it was announced today by Steve McPherson, president, ABC Primetime Entertainment. The creators of "Once & Again," "thirtysomething" and "My So Called Life," who have defined the modern drama, now turn their unique perspective to the lives of a group of Chicago friends and roommates in their 20s - balanced between the carefree and heightened emotions of youth and the mantle of responsibility and adulthood.

"We spent the last two years making films, while the world of television has been in the process of enormous change," says Zwick, "and we find now that we can tell stories in a different way." Herskovitz adds, "Of course people will call this 'twentysomething,' but we don't care - we are fascinated by the different passages in people's lives -- but what's exciting here is that the way we all experience being in our twenties influences how the story must be told."

"I said early on that ABC would no longer be constrained to an arbitrary development cycle. Ed and Marshall made it easy to keep our word. They pitched us an incredibly insightful vision for this show and then delivered an even more remarkable script," said McPherson. "This is a great piece of business for us...not only is the script quintessential Herskovitz and Zwick, filled with all the emotion and honesty you've come to expect from them, but the premise is absolutely relatable and accessible. We couldn't be more excited."

"Ed and Marshall have a legacy of producing groundbreaking television," said Mark Pedowitz, president, Touchstone Television. "From adolescents to thirtysomethings, families to couples, they capture the very soul of their subjects. We are excited to partner with them as they delve into the psyche of life in your twenties."

Zwick and Herskovitz first collaborated on the Emmy Award-winning television movie, "Special Bulletin." They founded The Bedford Falls Company in 1985 - so named for the town in "It's A Wonderful Life" - as home for their film and television projects. Two years later they created and executive-produced the acclaimed series "thirtysomething," for which they received an Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series, a Writers Guild Award, two Directors Guild Awards and the Humanitas Prize. Their success followed with ABC dramas "My So-Called Life," "Relativity" and the Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning series, "Once and Again." In feature films, Zwick and Herskovitz recently produced the acclaimed feature "The Last Samurai," "Traffic" - winner of two Golden Globe and four Academy Awards - and "I Am Sam."

ABC Media Relations Contact:
Sharon D. Williams (818) 460-6453, sharon.d.williams@abc.com

Touchstone Media Contact:
Charissa Gilmore (818) 460-7950, charissa.gilmore@abc.com

[Sascha]

not only is the script quintessential Herskovitz and Zwick, filled with all the emotion and honesty you've come to expect from them, but the premise is absolutely relatable and accessible.

Yeah, that's what I wanted to hear!

[starbug]

This is great. I'm hoping for this to work on so many counts:
- the show gets picked up after the pilot
- the show is given good promotion and a decent time slot on ABC
- someone on UK terrestrial TV picks it up (ok so this is slightly less likely )

Channel 4 is pretty tight with HBO in terms of showing their stuff... and they ran the original MSCL in (I believe) '95... from recall they also ran 'thirtysomething' but I could be wrong. Anyway, here's hoping...

[EricMontreal22]

Once and Again aired in the UK didn't it? I'm sure a friend of mine watched it there and said he thought it was doing fairly well in the ratings.

The fact that ABC has released a press release just for this pilot is good news no? I guess they probably released similar releases for the non pick uped pilots of The Castle and that sitcom Hersk and Zwick worked on too--or did they?

Also would Bedford Falls ever work for HBO? Would that be a good thing or a bad thing? HBO for all its groundwork in GREAT tv (SFU is prob one of my top shows ever) doesn't seem interested in doing shows without some sort of added element like adult language or more sex or violence. if Bedford took their usual style of show--some added cussing coudl work but I can't see much else benefiting the show (even if we did see Rick's butt on that Once and Again ep).

I do however think the guaranteed season runs of episodes promised by cable networks would be nice for Bedford--and Marshall and Ed are certainly pretty prestigious names among tv people. I guess a new show from them would maybe suit better a station like Lifetime (shudder) but all their original programming (besides usually not being very well written from waht I've seen) always seems low budget-and a huge part of the appeal of Bedford's dramas for me is the gorgeous direction and care paid to it

E

[starbug]

Hi Eric...
possibly Once and Again was aired on cable/satellite in the UK. I don't have those, so I wouldn't have seen it... or maybe it did air on terrestrial and I just missed it.

I realise that my post was a bit misleading; I wasn't suggesting that BF would work with HBO, only that C4 tend to pay more attention to US shows, as evidenced by their continuing showing of HBO programming.

[Sascha]

Once & Again aired as far as I know at least two times in the UK on Sky One. But they had the same ratings problems like all other European networks and aired only the first season in the prime time. They re-aired season 1 in a daily afternoon slot, then aired season 2 a bit later in the afternoon too. Don't know whether they ever aired season 3.

In France, the show was cancelled after half of the first season and later aired on a private womans tv channel. German channel "VOX" cancelled it after 8 episodes in 2000 and didn't air it since

[special_k]

I was just in a psych class where this dilemna was the focus (the 20somethign dilemna.) Apparantly we're all screwed thanks to the baby boomers. They spent their 20s when there was so much opportunity everywhere that they all had major degrees by 23-24, successfull careers by 26-28 and were made. of course my prof says that this also created the midlife crisis--something that never really existed before. because everything was handed to them they had no time in their 20s, or need, to discover themselves and only by their 40s, 50s did that catch up--hence the mid life crisis.

E

There was an excellent documentary on this aired by ABC in the summer of 1992, "Twentysomething: The Loss Of The American Dream." I've not seen it since, but it was definitely worth watching.

[sarahr_81]

hmm, well, the show sounds interesting, i hope it comes to air.

[EricMontreal22]

Once and Again was hard enought o see here--I was away at school during its third year and got it taped for me at home (had no tv) but between all the schedule changes I still missed and have yet to see 2 of the eps of that year. I thought I'd catch up on DVD but we all know what's been happening there

O&A despite its awards sorta passed under the public conscious radar it seems-_thirtysomething, even if it didn't have massive ratings was a show everyone knew about. I was under 11 when it finished but even I knew about it. And My So-Called Life became somethign everyone was sorta ware of too but O&A never did even though at tis best I think it was the equal of those shows. A frustration for me was how much it was perceived as a chick show. Ya it's about relationships etc but I think it's from the male's perspective as much as the female's.

End of rant--hope for good things for this show

E

[LittleWildheart]

Very cool. I hope this show gets on the air, I'm intrigued! I need a show I can identify with again...like I did with MSCL when I was 15. I think it's pretty cool that the M/H team has decided to do a 20-something drama now that all of their lost adolescent MSCL fans are in *their* mid-twenties.

[Amika]

All of this is very exciting news to me. I can't wait to see it.

[Sascha]

Casting news:

1/4LIFE (ABC) - Rachel Blanchard ("7th Heaven"), Jacob Pitts ("Eurotrip"), Shiri Appleby ("Roswell"), Merritt Wever ("Signs") and newcomer Reggie Austin ("The Next Action Star") have been announced as five of the seven principal cast members on Marshall Herskovitz and Ed Zwick's latest, an ensemble drama pilot about a group of twentysomething friends who live under the same roof and examines the period of transition that comes after a person graduates from college and has to come to grips with life in the real world. No character specifics were given about the Touchstone Television-based project, which will be written by the duo with Herskovitz directing.

http://www.thefutoncritic.com/cgi/gofut ... re&id=6758


By Nellie Andreeva

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Rachel Blanchard, Jacob Pitts and Shiri Appleby have been cast in "1/4life," a new ABC ensemble drama from the creators of "thirtysomething."

The drama, revolving around seven twentysomething friends who live under the same roof, examines the period of transition that comes after a person graduates from college and has to come to grips with life in the real world.

Blanchard, Pitts and Appleby, along with Merritt Wever and newcomer Regggie Austin, will play five of the seven friends.

Executive producers Marshall Herskovitz and Ed Zwick wrote the script. Herskovitz is also on board to direct.

Blanchard co-starred on the WB Network's drama "7th Heaven" for two years and played the lead in "Clueless" the series. She was most recently in theaters with "Without a Paddle."

Pitt starred earlier this year in "Eurotrip." "Roswell" star Appleby appeared on Herskovitz and Zwick's "thirtysomething."

Wever worked on M. Night Shyamalan's "Signs." Austin, who appeared on NBC's reality series "The Next Action Star," was discovered while auditioning for an ABC showcase for finding and developing culturally and ethnically diverse talent.


http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtm ... ID=6592014



Err, wait a sec. Shiri appeared on "thirtysomething"!? Was she even born yet?

[... a few seconds and a visit to imdb.com later... ]

Indeed, she starred in the second episode 1987. Oh, she's older than I thought. Born 1978. Weren't she and Devon Gummersall once an item?

Anyway, the cast sounds promising --- well, I've only seen Appleby and Blanchard so far on TV.



Jacob Pitts (on the right)


Reggie Austin


Merritt Wever


Rachel Blanchard


Shiri Appleby

[EricMontreal22]

It's nice to see how much attention this project is getting--I don't normally remember reading about pilot casting as it happens etc--hopefully a good sign!

E