Bryan Singer (X2, Dirty Sexy Money, House) and Bryan Fuller (Pushing Daisies, Dead Like Me, repeated stints on Heroes) are teaming up with NBC on a new TV series for the adaptation of Augusten Burroughs’ book, “Sellevision”.
“Sellevision” will be a 1-hour dramedy with Fuller at the writer’s desk and Singer at the helm. Both Singer and Fuller will executive produce the show with Galgos Entertainment’s Russell Nuce and Mark Bozek (former CEO of HSN and QVC). Bozek had originally aimed for “Sellevision” to be adapted into feature film format, but it didn’t come together.
Here is a summary of what the source material of the show is about:
Light and funny, with a bitter aftertaste, the action of Sellevision takes place behind the scenes (and on the set) of a successful television shopping network, where a feminine role model, Peggy Jean Smythe, the married, Christian mother of three, begins receiving suspicious e-mail from a viewer who insists that Peggy’s hairy earlobe is obscuring her presentation of jewelry during the broadcast. When Peggy fails to respond to the e-mail, but silently waxes her lobe, the cruel notes escalate, until Peggy believes herself to be suffering from a hormonal crisis that has given her a mustache, a gruff voice, and the manner of a lumberjack. Meanwhile, one of her cohosts, Max Andrews, has been fired for accidentally exposing himself during a children’s special, and learns just how undesirable a commodity a penis-baring ex-Sellevision host can be on the job market. The book is an unusually smooth read for a first novel, with six or seven truly inspired lines. (review from Amazon)
Fuller explains how the project came together:
“We were all big fans of Augusten and the book, and we all got along great. So we decided to get into bed together.”
Bozek’s years at HSN and QVC informed his desire to bring the behind the scenes world of home shopping to the small screen:
“It’s a very insular, highly competitive world with people living in it 24/7 whether they are on the air or not, and their lives are all about how many dollars per minute they can make for the company.”
Here, Fuller talks about what grabbed his attention in the book, “Sellevision”:
“I love how rich and idiosyncratic the world is. Augusten Burroughs has such sharp wit; I got sucked up by all the characters. …[The TV adaptation] will keep true to the tone of the book, and most of the characters will be the same.”
Singer weighs in on how this project will be a success:
“The talent of this team, coupled with Mark’s years of experience with the subject matter, promises to deliver a fun, contemporary and original show.”
Fuller has been a busy man this year. He also has another script in progress, entitled “No Kill”, a comedy that takes place in an animal shelter, for NBC through his two year deal with Universal Media Studios. Fuller is executive producing that project with Gail Berman and Lloyd Braun.
