Sundance Channel Cooks Up 'TV Lab'
By Cynthia Littleton and Nellie Andreva
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - The Sundance Channel plans to air
an unusual series incubation project dubbed \"TV Lab,\" a half-hour
format featuring several \"mini-pilots.\"
LWartenber: The pilots will even include the creative teams breaking the fourth
wall and delivering a short \"pitch\" directed at the audience.
As part of the agreement, announced Friday by Sundance and partner
Viacom Prods., the network may opt to develop some of those concepts
into regular series. Viacom also will have the option of developing
them into full-blown pilots to be shopped to other broadcast and cable
networks.
Sundance, a joint venture of Viacom's Showtime Networks, Universal Studios and filmmaker Robert Redford (news), may also decide to make
\"TV Lab\" a regular weekly series.
Sundance Channel president and CEO Larry Aidem said he hoped the \"TV
Lab\" experiment would \"unearth some terrific ideas for television
programming.\" Viacom Prods. president Perry Simon said he hoped the
process would help identify \"fresh new voices\" among writer-producers.
Sundance will mount an \"open casting call\" in the coming months to
solicit submissions for \"TV Lab.\"
While it's primarily a showplace for dramas, sitcoms, etc, the possibilities of game shows haven't been ruled out, so it might be worth a look.
Chuck Donegan (The Illustrious \"Chuckie Baby\")
