NEW TV SITCOM, "LOVE THAT GIRL"
Silver Spring-based TV One has bought four episodes of its first original scripted sitcom: an African American-produced, African American-cast sitcom about a young divorcee that has been given the deliciously retro title "Love That Girl!"
The show hopes to attract an audience that has been largely ignored by broadcasters since CW dumped the last vestiges of UPN's black-cast comedy lineup -- and isn't being shown much love by cable networks either.
TV One did not develop the show; the four episodes were created, written and directed on spec by Bentley Kyle Evans ("Martin," "The Jamie Foxx Show") outside the studio system for around $1.2 million, which is maybe half what one episode of a successful-ish broadcast sitcom costs these days.
The four episodes of "Love That Girl!" -- my new favorite series name -- were shot in five days. That's less than the length of time it would take to shoot that one episode of that successful-ish broadcast sitcom.
"We built our own sets," Evans told the TV Column on Tuesday, in explaining how you can make four episodes of a sitcom for $1.2 million. "As far as writing and directing -- I did that. I paid myself minimum wage to get it done."
Martin Lawrence, star of '90s Fox sitcom "Martin," is among the show's executive producers. Not coincidentally, reruns of "Martin" are TV One's most successful prime-time series.
And Tatyana Ali, who headlines TV One's monthly hour-long celebrity interview show, "TV One Access," stars in "Love That Girl!"; she also played Ashley on NBC's "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" in the '90s.
Evans said he hopes TV One looks at the series as an opportunity to get a jump on BET, which has taken some stabs at doing original scripted programs, though its efforts never seem to take.
(Remember how BET, in 2005, named indie filmmaker Reginald Hudlin to be the cable net's first president of entertainment? He flamed out, though he will go into the history books as the very first, and probably very last, executive to use the expression "Fellini-esque" at a BET Press Tour Q&A session. That was his description of BET's "Lil' Kim: Countdown to Lockdown," in which the network followed Ms. Kim as she prepared to do time in the hoosegow after lying to a grand jury and then on the stand at a trial in re what she saw at a shooting outside a Manhattan radio station in 2001.)
"BET was the first network I took it to because of a prior relationship," Evans said of taking "Love That Girl!" to market.
BET took a pass, he said. "It seems like they want to be a major player in the game, but every time they're given the opportunity, they fall short, out of fear. . . . They don't take risks. They don't take chances."
Evans likened his business model to that being used by Tyler Perry and production company Debmar-Mercury for Perry's TBS comedies. "This wasn't developed for anyone. I developed it for me," Evans said. "I shopped it for distribution only -- we wanted to retain ownership."
Like Perry and Debmar-Mercury, "Love That Girl!" producers are offering TV One a low-cost proposition in hopes the network will order a lot more episodes -- enough so that the investors can quickly amass enough episodes to make the show a viable commodity in the off-network rerun business. That's where the real money is.
"I did get the chance to go see his studio and worked with him for a brief period, and realized it was something I knew how to do," Evans said of Perry.
"Our goal is to obtain a rating and then get a major order. The business model would be to get distribution from [TV One] and they are going to be a profit participant in the project as well."
TV One wants "Love That Girl!" to improve on its "Martin" rerun lead-in ratings by 10 to 20 percent, Evans said. He has an "if-come" deal with the network, which, he explains, is new industry-speak for "if the ratings come, they will adhere to the agreement."
The 33rd stamp in the Black Heritage series honors pioneering filmmaker Oscar Micheaux, who wrote, directed, produced, and distributed more than 40 movies during the first half of the 20th century. An ambitious, larger-than-life figure, Micheaux thrived at a time when African-American filmmakers were rare, venues for their work were scarce, and support from the industry did not exist. Micheaux’s entrepreneurial spirit and independent vision continue to inspire new generations of filmmakers and artists.
This stamp features a stylized portrait of Oscar Micheaux by Gary Kelley. The artwork is based on one of the few surviving photographs of Micheaux, a portrait that appeared in his 1913 novel, The Conquest.
BENTLEY EVANS
Evans served a five year tenure at the Fox Network’s(HBO Independent Production) smash hit "Martin"starring Martin Lawrence(1992-1997). Evans, during his 5 year tenure on the show, quickly moved up the ranks from a staff writer to Co-Executive Producer/Show runner in just four seasons. This opportunity opened several doors for the young scribe. Evans simultaneously moved into the feature film world where he co-wrote Lawrence’s film "A Thin Line Between Love and Hate." The movie opened at #1 in the domestic market.
Evans created such a buzz with his rise to show-runner that the WB offered him an overall production deal after his 1st full year as co-executive producer/show-runner. As the "Martin" show ended its fourth season, Evans teamed up with Oscar Winner "Jamie Foxx"and together they Co-created the hit TV sitcom "The Jamie Foxx Show" (1996-2000) for the WB Network. Evans found himself in the unique position of running both shows simultaneously, although he admits that it was hard work, he rose to the occasion and became one of the rare individuals that was able to run two different shows for two different networks all under the age of thirty. The deal would enable him to write, produce, and direct for the show’s five-season run. Both "Martin" and "The Jamie Foxx Show" exceeded 100 episodes and are currently in syndication in several countries all began his entertainment career as an actor in Robert Townsend’s "Hollywood Shuffle"followed by featured roles in "I’m Gonna Get U Sucka"directed by Keenan Ivory Wayans, and New Line Cinema’s "House Party". In the ladder portion of the 80’s he decided to focus his career on the television side where he landed several guest staring roles on shows such as Family Matters,Head of the Class, Doogie Howser MD,and a host of pilots. It wasn’t until Evans landed a lead role in an ABC TV pilot "Hammer, Slammer, and Slade", where he starred beside Martin Lawrence, Jim Brown, and "ER’S" Eriq Las Sallethat he realized the planets where lining up for him. Although the pilot never took off, Evans and Martin Lawrence hit it off as great friends. Evans had an epiphany that maybe behind the scenes was his true calling. He then started writing several spec scripts for shows like "The Cosby Show", "A Different World" and a few original pilots. Nothing ever became of these works until one of his pilot scripts landed in the lap of mega star Martin Lawrence at the time when several networks were looking to develop a sitcom around his talent. Lawrence loved what he saw and immediately arranged for Evans to write for his TV show.
Martin Lawrence
Martin Lawrence has returned to TV, executive-producing "Love That Girl"
Without so much as a pilot order, writer-director Bentley Kyle Evans ("Martin," "The Jamie Foxx Show") shot four episodes of "Love That Girl!" on a shoestring budget of $1.2 million. Evans called in favors from friends and colleagues to shoot the episodes over five days in a converted warehouse. Although self-financing a pilot has become more common as producers struggle to break though an increasingly consolidated studio landscape, producing four entire episodes is rare."Love That Girl!" is described as a sexy comedy following a young divorcee who returns home to Southern California and takes a job in her father's real estate business and lives with her unemployed brother. It stars Tatyana Ali ("The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," "TV One Access").
"It's great to be back in the television game and working with a network like TV One," Evans said. "If executed properly, this will represent a whole new model for producing and delivering quality scripted series to the television market at a reasonable cost." TV One will show "Girl!" over a three-night period starting January 19. This will mark the first original scripted program to air on TV One, which is available in roughly 50 million homes and typically features specials and syndicated programing, including repeats of "Martin," one of the network's top-rated shows.
If the episodes hit a certain rating, the network will pick up 13-26 additional half-hours. In addition to Lawrence, Evans and Jeff Franklin ("Full House") are executive producers, as are Raphael Saadiq and Trenten Gumbs. In recent years, black comedies have experienced a revival on cable, with TBS drawing large audiences from Tyler Perry's "House of Payne" and "Meet the Browns."
