With Fox’s Glee topping the rating and music charts, CW has teamed with Bandslam writer-director Todd Graff and the film’s producer Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas to develop its own musical and dancing dramedy. Titled Acting Out, the project is described as Glee meets Bad Santa and explores relationships of counselors and staff of a down-on-its-luck summer camp whose new owner is a young curmudgeon in the vein of Billy Bob Thornton in Bad Santa. In addition to writing, Graff is executive producing with Goldsmith-Thomas and may direct. This is a familiar setting for Graff, who also wrote and directed the 2003 film Camp, about a burnt-out Broadway songwriter who goes to work at a musical camp for young performers. It’s been a busy selling season for Goldsmith Thomas who has 5 projects set up at various networks, including a drama at Fox with writer Jason Smilovic.
CW Developing Teen Musical Dramedy
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I like Todd Graff. I think “Camp” was a wonderful coming-of-age pic with some fantastic musical numbers and a great Broadway-type score. I’d like to see Ryan Murphy team up with Graff as a showrunning team.
CAMP is epic and BANDSLAM is a cinematic treat. This def sounds like a show I’ll be adding to my TV calendar.
Hmmm… that sounds a lot better than Glee.
And since Murphy always eventually crashes and burns with his shows, this show will take up the slack from what’s left of Glee.
I loved Bandslam. Watched it with my daughter. If this is anything like that, I’ll watch it too. Oddly, I don’t watch Glee. I find it too broad and unbelievable, though I do like the music. I hope this show isn’t broad.
Good for Elaine. She’s talented. And Todd Graff is a really good director. The only problem with doing it for TV is that most of the good stuff doesn’t get made… Hopefully that won’t be true in this case.
another example of Hollywood trying to turn American children into homosexuals.
because no straight people ever sing. charlie daniels, toby keith, gretchen wilson — all gay.
did you SERIOUSLY just post that?
And by the way, no one TURNS gay. Just as you did not TURN straight (assuming you are!)
Hahaha, he just “freaked” the squares in the room.
but, but, but, but… I thought the CW wasn’t doing any teen music shows. You know…glee has that space… Oh, I get it… they weren’t until they were… Never mind..
Chauncy
Lol @ Seth. Go shop at Wal Mart.
Seth: Please do us all a favor and go jump in a lake, preferably with heavy weights tied to your feet. Seriously…Hollywood has a plot to turn children gay by making musicals??? You are demented.
Good for Todd Graff. Good for Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas. Bad for Seth and other gay haters. A teen musical that doesn’t include gay characters is a fairy tale (no pun). When will this gay bashing stop?
Glee turned my kid gay. Now this one will have him wearing Santa outfits too.
I hate to break it to you guys over at The CW, but Glee is “Glee Meets Bad Santa.”
— Rob
what I mean is that TV does nothing but push the liberal gay agenda – in effect encouraging kids who aren’t emotionally ready to come out of the closet, thinking the world will accept them because TV tells them they will. But the harsh reality is American middle and high schools aren’t gay sensitive — just the opposite — brutal towards those who stand out.
and for these gay kids the reaction is so shocking to what they imagine it will be some can’t handle it and take their own lives.
notice a lot of these kids committing suicide are very young – wasn’t one 13 or 14? no 14 year old kid should come out of the closet without a lot of soul searching, without parental or the school system supporting them. and in all of these cases it was lacking.
I honestly think a lot of it goes back to what these kids see and hear through music and TV — telling them again and again it’s OK to come out, and the world will embrace them, and that life is a big frilly musical where being yourself means you’ll automatically be accepted — but what happens? They get teased just a few times and go right for the noose.
It’s one thing to come out knowing full well you’ll have to deal with a bunch of crap from bullies, another thinking by coming out everyone will accept you. And when it doesn’t happen it’s a huge belly drop.
Hollywood has blood on their hands with this rash of gay suicides.
Stop trying to make your homophobia sound like it’s in defense of gay kids! You are the reason gay kids kill themselves. If you care so much about gay kids instead of lambasting Hollywood you should work on changing that “harsh reality” you describe.
It isn’t Hollywood that has blood on their hands. It’s the right-wing nutjobs who reinforce the idea that homosexuality is wrong, immoral, against “God” (i.e. them) and that they are not equal. I’m looking at you, Elisabeth Hasselbeck.
You have blood on your hands for your intolerance.
Seth I kinda agree with you. yes glee does show how kirk deals with being openly gay, but the show never shows how easy it is to be gay, and glee doesn’t influence gays to come out. It shows the strugle kirk goes through, and how difficult it is to be gay because of society, but kirk doesn’t care what people think. I think kirk just shows the world to just be yourself. dancing and singing is just something he loves to do. not all gays love to dance and sing. just something i wanted to point out
I was thinking this might be a good show, but then I realized it will air on The CW. Sorry, but I’m not watching the crap network for even this show.
Uh, Seth, this might be a spoiler alert for you, but I’m sort of thinking that any gay American children watching Glee already are gay.
Another missed opportunity to reboot Cop Rock. So sad.
CW Developing Teen Musical Dramedy = intelligent audiences preparing to vomit.
CW – copying everyone else over and over. Vampire Diaries – Twilight/Buffy. Gossip Girl – Dawson’s. Now they’re doing their Glee. Will they ever try to be first and take a chance, ever?
Ummm… Copying themselves, in the case of Buffy and Dawson’s, both of which started out on the WB, CW’s progenitor which provides the net more than half of its DNA.
Everything is “copied” from somewhere else. Ideas are iterative and nobody knows this better than the folks in Hollywood.
You do know Buffy was a WB/UPB show, right (with is now the CW)
You do know Dawsons Creek was a WB show, right (which is now the CW).
Vampire Diairies, as a book, was out way before Twilight the book even existed.
WHY do people ever look at what the other guys are doing and think, “gee… let’s not copy it… let’s do the opposite. Copies don’t work in 2010.” Go spend your coin elsewhere Thom.
What a terrible idea. I’ve heard of copying what works but this is pathetic. No wonder ratings for all the networks are down; they don’t have an original story to tell.
Yeah, right. Elaine and Todd graph doing tv. I guess they know how through osmosis?
I think this is a terrific idea. Let more music return. And Todd Graff always brings an original spin to his work. Can’t wait!
For the first time I can honestly say, I’ll WATCH the CW! Finally a show for me!
Wow, I’m shocked at the amount of love this show is seeming to get. I wouldn’t go near it with a ten-foot pole, it’s just another example of the CW being opportunistic (I’m looking at you, Vampire Diaries – another show I can’t believe people fell for) and nearly plagiarising. Glee is a great show, but it should not be copied.
Oh, CW! You’re like THe Asylum of networks…