MTV Expands Comedy Footprint

MTV pulled back the curtain on its current development slate, a lineup with a heavy focus on comedy programming.

Among the shows in development are The Awesomes, from Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels, head writer Seth Meyers and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon executive producer and SNL veteran Michael Shoemaker.

The Awesomes is a half-hour animated comedy about bumbling superheroes that battle supervillains, the paparazzi and their own reputations.

The network is also working with actor/comedian Jamie Foxx on a sketch comedy show, the logline of which is “the next generation of In Living Color.”

Other programs include a remake of the 1980’s cult movie Teen Wolf.

Patito Feo, based on a wildly successful Argentinean teen drama series, will chronicle the struggles of a young Mexican girl trying to navigate Los Angeles life.

Hard Times, a half-hour scripted series from producer David Katzenberg, resembles a teen version of HBO’s Hung. The story follows 15-year-old RJ Berger who goes from anonymous to infamous when his “anatomical gift is dramatically revealed in front of the whole school.”

Warren the Ape, about a D-List celebrity puppet trying to get back into the biz.

Adrienne Bailon Project (working title), which features the title star moving back home to New York.

“The most exciting thing about creating content for MTV is that you can paint across a broad canvas,” said Tony DiSanto, president of programming for MTV. “This allows us to play with different genres as our long history of hits clearly illustrates, from Beavis and Butthead to The Real World to The Hills. MTV is always evolving, and we are spreading our creative wings even further with this slate. From animation, to scripted, to comedy, as always, MTV is a home for talent to give life to their vision behind the camera, as well as in front of it.”