At Comedy Central,
searching for laughs
Lineup of new shows spans a range of subject matter
By Diego Vasquez
May 6, 2010
If you're trying to find some overarching theme in Comedy Central's diverse development slate, which includes shows focused on everything from race relations to puppets to a cartoon Jesus Christ, just stop. The network, which announces its 2010-'11 lineup today, doesn't pretend to have some intellectual framework behind the shows. It's just looking for stuff that's funny, whether it's plucked off the internet, such as "Workaholics" and "The Onion Sports Network," revived after being canceled by Fox, such as "Futurama," or giving two "Saturday Night Live" comics another shot, as it is with Chris Parnell and Horatio Sanz in "Big Lake." The network ordered six new shows that begin premiering next month with the return of "Futurama." It also has nine arguably more outrageous shows in development, including "Highdeas," exploring concepts of interest to stoners, and "Patrice Oneal's Guide to White People," which explains in funny terms what it is to be white. Comedy Central, whose ratings fell in virtually every demographic in primetime last year but has seen strong numbers for "South Park" this spring, has also ordered 13 scripts for consideration, one of them the animated Jesus show entitled "JC" and another a procedural about puppets and humans coexisting in an alternate universe. Kent Alterman, head of original programming and production at Comedy Central, talks to Media Life about his network's strategy, or lack thereof, in coming up with its schedule, the promise of "Futurama," and why ESPN's Chris Berman can sleep peacefully.
What was your main goal for this development slate? Would you say there's some sort of overarching focus -- besides being funny?
No. Honestly, as I’ve said, I’m too much of an idiot to have a vision [laughs]. It’s really about finding people that have a strong point of view and working with them. The beauty of working at a place like Comedy Central is you can empower people to actualize their vision in a really unfiltered way, and that’s when things have the best shot at being funny.
"Futurama" was resurrected after being canceled by Fox. What's new about it and what will stay the same? How much buzz are you hearing about the show?
To be honest, that deal kind of pre-dated me and I know it’s an acquisition of past episodes and also producing new ones. But I’m not intimately involved. (It’s the same team, producers and voice actors).
But I’ve heard the show is going way downhill [laughs]. No, everyone is really excited because it’s doing well already [in reruns], and new episodes will be great for the network.
Why is this the right time to launch a sports spoof with "The Onion?" On a related note, should ESPN's Chris Berman be taking cover?
[Laughs] Well, it’s not targeting any specific individual. If you know The Onion brand and the sensibility they have, exactly what they do with politics and current affairs and pop culture, they’re applying the same wit to the world of sports and sports coverage.
They’re smart and funny, and I think there’s no sports-themed shows on Comedy Central right now, but it’s a good bet a lot of our viewers are also sports fans, so I hope it resonates.
Comedy Central has been one of the more aggressive networks terms of mining the web for potential longform programming. How do you determine if, say, a short on "Funny or Die" will work as a longer program? What are the hurdles that you face?
There’s no formula, but in a way it’s really about applying the same principles as you would when hearing a pitch in the sense of, is it funny? Does it have a point of view? If it’s a narrative, are the characters engaging and will people invest in them? Does it have longevity potential? And does the concept lend itself to longevity?
You have a mockumentary pilot in development, and there are several of those already airing on broadcast. Why is this such a popular format? How does it lend itself to storytelling in ways other formats do not?
I would say that in general, any form of storytelling in entertainment is ripe for a comedic version. I think some mockumentaries, there’s a range of how it can be approached. Some could be a spoof of the form.
Or others, if you look at “Modern Family” and “The Office,” it’s not spoofing documentaries, it’s just using the format as a familiar convention to viewers. It just becomes a storytelling and joke-telling vehicle.
Comedy Central is obviously known for edgy programming. How close to the edge can you go without going over? Are there any pilots or scripts you rejected for going too far during this round?
No, and I don’t really think I’d ever reject anything in the script or pilot stage. You want people to push it and be as pure as they can and go from there.
Why did Jon Heder drop out of "Big Lake?" Does that sort of thing happen frequently with pilots, and how much reshooting do you have to do when it does?
That wasn’t in production yet, so there wasn’t any reshooting. To be honest, I’m not totally plugged into why, but it was amicable and it was really between him and the producers, and it kind of just was what it was.
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