Please wait...
Please wait...

Buena Vista opens strongly

Buena Vista International kicked off The LA Screenings on Sunday with eight new shows from Touchstone, making it the number one supplier of new series for the 2001/2002 season.

With a strong slate ranging from movies (including Pearl Harbour) to comedy shows and serial drama, Disney's international arm was keen to express the variety and depth of its new offerings.

Buyer reaction to the new shows was positive, with the jewels in the crown being a new half-hour comedy starring ex-Seinfelder Jason Alexander. He plays a struggling self-help guru in the show of the same name, Bob Patterson.

Irreverent and quirky it allows Alexander to do what he does best – play angry comedy and, in the words of Touchstone's executive vp Steve McPherson, {be his own worst enemy.{

Buena Vista is repping Scrubs, a progressive hospital comedy from Bill Lawrence of Spin City fame. Scrubs is set to fill the post-Fraiser slot on NBC and is expected to perform well. The pilot includes a fantasy element (along the lines of Ally McBeal's dancing babies etc).

The Court, starring Sally Field, is threatening to be another strong contender for ratings success later this year. It's a gritty drama that follows a group of clerks working for America's nine Supreme Court judges.

For the other studios, which begin screening Monday, Buena Vista will be a tough act to follow.

Please wait...