Housewives move to Africa

MIPCOM: African broadcaster EbonyLifeTV is teaming up with Disney Media Distribution for a Nigerian production of hit drama series Desperate Housewives.

The series, to be known as Desperate Housewives Africa, will be coproduced by EbonyLifeTV and Disney and is set to air next summer.

The original Desperate Housewives, created by Marc Cherry and produced by ABC Studios, has been broadcast in more than 200 territories worldwide. However, in 2011, ABC axed the show ahead of its eighth season.

Desperate Housewives Africa now becomes the sixth adaptation of the show, following local productions in Turkey, Argentina, Colombia/Ecuador, US Hispanic territories and Brazil.

The Nigerian series will feature an African cast of emerging and established talent and will be filmed in the Nigerian capital Lagos, where a local ‘Wisteria Lane’ has been found. Production will closely follow the format and storylines of the original US version.

Mo Abudu, CEO and exec chairman of EbonyLifeTV, said: “On our part, and in line with our mission which is to create original, homegrown and premium content with an African soul, we will work to ensure parity with the original storyline and production values that have characterised the global series without compromising that very important African essence.”

Giovanni Mastrangelo, general manager of Disney Media Distribution’s emerging markets, said: “Coproducing Desperate Housewives Africa with EbonyLife TV offers the opportunity to engage African audiences through locally relevant and entertaining storytelling.”