Posted: Fri Jul 18, 2008 12:15 am Post subject: 18 to Life
First of all, we must mention Mike's blog that started the talk about "18 to Life."
...Finally I was feeling better and then started a hectic schedule for a new Pilot (new pilot? kinda redundant). It's a dramedy sitcom called "18 to Life". I first read the scripts and I thought they were so sweet and funny and I'm ecstatic to be on the show. Even better my co-star is Stacey Farber from Degrassi...
I also recently found this article that mentions the pilot of "18 to Life." Apparently, it's in a pool of possible pilots to be accepted by CBC.
...`Among the pilots contending for slots on the schedule are romantic comedy "18 to Life" from Gala Films and the spy drama "The B Team" from "Corner Gas" creators Verite Films and Kevin White Prods ...
I know! He seems to be pretty excited about it (from what I could tell when I read his blog!) I can't wait to see what it is about! I could totally see Mike doing a romantic comedy, even though he hasn't really done anything like that before I really hope the pilot gets picked up! I love Stacey Farber and Michael Seater, so the both of them together? totally awesome! I can't wait to see it! _________________
That's awesome !!
I really want to see him in a romantic comedy. Plus, some clips could be used in dasey videos... that's my (dasey) vidder mind ! lol _________________ Aurelie / LyraGW / Candora_Shipper
That kind of reminds me of a Dasey fanfic some how.. The plot anyway. And Mikey Seater as a Newlywed... It's pinch your cheek adorable. It sounds like a VERY cute show (And I AM NOT just saying that because he's in it.. BUT it helps) _________________
^ Would this Dasey fanfic happen to be about a drunken night in Vegas with Derek and Casey? (I remember a scene in one fanfiction in which Casey and Derek try to get an annulment, but can't since they've had sex. So they have a trial separation for a year.)
I'm quite curious about this show. If it gets picked up, I wonder if it won't premiere in early 2009. _________________
I love that fanfiction a lot. I'm really sad that it ended now but it was really cute. And YES that is it. It reminds me a lot of it... A LOT.
And it would be pretty cool if it got picked up because it's such a funny cute concept... And Canada has a thing for funny teen type shows.... I don't know how they do it. Darn Canadians! _________________
Canadian TV sizzles in U.S.
'Flashpoint,' other series find success
By BRENDAN KELLY
MONTREAL As recently as last year, the Canuck industry was rife with grumbling about how the production biz had fewer primetime dramas on the air in Canada and lower ratings than five years earlier.
But then the Americans stepped in and started buying Canadian shows, and despite some Yank critics' carping, auds on both sides of the border have embraced series from the Great White North.
The highest-profile Canadian entry in the U.S. television sweepstakes so far is "Flashpoint," a Toronto-set crime drama that made its bow on CBS and on CTV in Canada July 11. The series about an emergency response police unit met with mixed reviews in the U.S., with many Stateside critics suggesting it was a not-so-inspired Canadian rip-off of a well-worn American format -- the cop procedural.
But American TV viewers seem to have fewer issues than do critics of the show -- and its Canadian roots. The first episode of "Flashpoint" was the most watched show of the night in the U.S., with 8.1 million viewers and 1.9/6 in 18-49. It has continued to win its timeslot every week since then, and in a show of confidence, CBS moved "Flashpoint" to Thursdays at 10 p.m., after "CSI," beginning July 24 where it did well again. On July 31, the show won its timeslot with 7.68 million total viewers and 1.9/6 among adults 18-49.
"It felt to me like there was some resistance to 'Flashpoint' going into the CBS primetime schedule and that seemed to be written between the lines of some of the reviews," says "Flashpoint" exec producer Bill Mustos. "But I feel that's going away because audiences in North America seem to be responding to the show."
Still on the bubble is "18 to Life," a sitcom about a pair of 18-year-olds who shock their parents by getting married. Starring Stacey Farber ("Degrassi: The Next Generation") and Michael Seater ("Life With Derek"), the pilot for "18 to Life" was shot in Montreal earlier this summer, and ABC and CBC are considering whether to order more episodes. "Degrassi: The Next Generation" and "Life With Derek" are two more Canuck shows that have proved successful on the N and Disney Channel, respectively.
Other Canadian shows headed to the smallscreen in the U.S. include "The Listener," a drama about a Toronto paramedic with telepathic powers, coming to NBC next season; and Montreal-shot sitcom "Sophie," the tale of a single mom, skedded for a preem on ABC Family early in '09.
The slow-paced gentle sitcom "Corner Gas," set in the tiny fictional town of Dog River in rural Saskatchewan, made its U.S. debut last fall on WGN, and "Kenny vs. Spenny," a comic reality show where two guys engage in absurd competitions, began airing on Comedy Central late last year.
Arnie Gelbart, president of Galafilm, the Montreal-based company producing "18 to Life," says the Canadian shows are proliferating south of the border in part because Canada has better writers, directors and showrunners than it did 10 years ago. But he is the first to admit that it's also because the American networks save money by picking up series that have been developed by Canadian producers and networks.
"It's a great deal for the American broadcasters," Gelbart says. "It certainly makes financial sense. They suddenly realized -- why not work with Canada. There's no language issue and it's right next door."
Gelbart notes that in a case like "18 to Life," pubcaster CBC and the rest of the Canadian financing system is putting up the bulk of the coin, so it makes for an attractive proposition for a U.S. network.
"Flashpoint" exec producer Mustos, who used to head the drama division at leading Canuck network CTV, says the boom is part of a happy coincidence where networks on both sides of the border were simultaneously contemplating developing shows that would work in the two markets. A network like CTV is trying to back Canadian series that will fly in the U.S., and the American networks are more open to collaborating with foreign producers and networks, as evidenced by imported formats like "The Office" and "Ugly Betty."
Some say the Canadian boom comes thanks to the recent Writers Guild of America strike, but Mustos doesn't buy that argument.
"When we talked to the folks at CBS about 'Flashpoint,' they said they'd been talking about finding a new model for making television, and they said they'd be talking to us about 'Flashpoint' whether or not there was a strike," Mustos says.
And to think that just before these U.S. sales the Canuck biz was depressed about how production was allegedly on the road to ruin.
"It's the shot-in-the-arm that the Canadian production community needed," Mustos says. "It really might be the dawning of a new era. There was a real doom-and-gloom attitude, but it really does feel like this last year has given people hope that they can play on the world stage."
The article states the status of "18 to Life" is uncertain. But I say the chances are good since the pilot continues to be highlighted in articles. Also, if ABC doesn't have to pay much, it makes them more willing to take a chance of the show.
*sighs* Ugh, I just want to see a "green light." _________________
Here's more information. It's a detailed synopsis about the pilot.
18 TO LIFE
Half Hour
CAST
Stacey Farber: Jesse
Michael Seater: Tom
Ellen David: Judith
Al Goulem: Phil
Angela Asher: Tara
Tommie-Amber Pirrie: Larisa
Jesse Rath: Carter
Tilo Horn: Monica
CREDITS
Production Companies: Galafilm, CBC
Executive Producers/Writers: Derek Schreyer, Karen Troubetzkoy
Executive Producer: Arnie Gelbart
Director: Peter Wellington
PLOT
Eighteen year-olds shouldn't get married, right? That would be crazy. But when a dare between lifelong best friends turns into a serious proposal, next-door neighbors Jessie Hill and Tom Bellow suddenly find themselves engaged. To outsiders, it may seem like a crazy move, but Jessie and Tom know that what they've got is real. Now, all they have to do is convince their parents.
The Bellows and the Hills have shared a fence for 12 years, but they couldn't be more different. The Bellows are a traditional family, Jewish only so far as they can lay guilt their son. They have a meticulous house and a detailed plan for their son that doesn't include marriage at 18. On the other side on the fence, the Hills are a couple of carefree hippies who believe family should run wild like weeds. Not embracing the "institution of marriage," the Hills are united by love and have never tied the knot legally. About the only common ground the two sets of parents share is that Tom and Jessie are too young, too different and so not ready to make the big leap. Even the kids' best friends, Carter and Larisa, are skeptical of their chances at happily ever after. But, against all the odds, Jessie and Tom know they've got what it takes, so they say "I do" in a quickie city hall ceremony. Surprise! Too bad their parents won't let them spend their wedding night together.
A comedic take on Romeo and Juliet, this co-production with Canadian Broadcasting Corporation spins these star-crossed lovers into the new millennium. Degrassi: Next Generation star Stacey Farber and Michael Seater (Life with Derek), lead the cast in a heartwarming and laugh out loud funny look at the ups and downs of young love.
If all goes well, we'll have a pilot promo picture coming soon! The person who posted this information has posted a string of pilot promos for other ABC pilots today. In his last post he said "18 to Life" and "In the Motherhood" were coming soon. *crosses fingers* _________________
Last edited by snoopy87 on Sun Nov 09, 2008 8:22 pm; edited 2 times in total
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I really hope the pilot gets picked up! I love Stacey Farber and Michael Seater, so the both of them together? totally awesome! I can't wait to see it! 
