Sky gets Rich, preps The Fall

Satcaster Sky1 in the UK has ordered a comedy from UK production outfit Roughcut TV starring former Dawson’s Creek actor James Van Der Beek.

Ash Atalla

Carters Get Rich (6×30’) will premiere this autumn and follows an 11-year-old who makes millions for his family when he creates a social media app. Van Der Beek stars as a US billionaire who buys the app, alongside Rhashan Stone (The Smoke) and Kerry Godliman (Derek).

Adam MacDonald, director of Sky1, said the “thoroughly modern sitcom” would be “funny and fresh.”

Ash Atalla, MD at Roughcut, added: “We’re very proud of this new series for Sky1 and it’s a fantastic example of Roughcut TV’s ability to create a range of modern and mainstream sitcoms with international appeal.”

Roughcut has been behind BBC shows including Cuckoo and People Just Do Nothing, and recently secured a second series commission from Comedy Central in the UK for I Live With Models.

In related news, sister channel Sky Atlantic is lining up a documentary about Olympic runners Zola Budd and Mary Decker, which will see the duo reunited for the first time in 30 years.

The Fall (1×90′) will focus on the 1984 Olympics when the runners clashed in a 3,000-metre race, putting Decker out of the race. The doc will air on Sky Atlantic in the UK on July 29 and is from UK-based Hillside Productions in association with Passion Pictures.