#universal tv

NBC is developing a series based on the novel and movie versions of Fried Green Tomatoes. Reba McEntire is set to star and executive produce. Jennifer Cecil is writing and executive producing. Fannie Flagg, the author of the novel who also co-wrote the film’s screenplay, will executive produce. Norman Lear and Brent Miller are also serving as executive producers for Act III Productions.

The series Fried Green Tomatoes is said to be a modernization of the novel and movie that will explore the lives of the book/film’s descendants. Idgie Threadgoode (McEntire) has been away from Whistle Stop for a decade. When she returns she will have to cope with a changed town, estranged daughter, struggling cafe, and a secret.

Variety broke the news.

a few months ago when it was still in theaters, i watched once upon a time in hollywood with a friend. it wasn’t a bad movie, really. weird, but, what can you expect from tarentino? what struck me, and what i actually liked about it, was how leonardo dicaprio’s character could have easily been robert fuller.

before his tenure as dr brackett on emergency!, robert fuller enjoyed a decent amount of work in westerns. particularly, in wagon train and in his starring role as jess harper on laramie. when laramie and wagon train ended, all he wanted to do was another western.

this was right around the death of the western genre, though. westerns weren’t all that popular anymore, and wouldn’t be again for a couple of decades. 

in 1971, jack webb pitched the idea that became emergency! to nbc universal. in the middle of the 71-72 season, webb got the green light to shoot a pilot for the show. certain roles were filled quickly, like nurse mccall (webb’s ex-wife julie london) and dr early (london’s husband bobby troup - more on that to come later). webb also knew who he wanted to play dr brackett: robert fuller. they didn’t have much time to get the pilot to nbc, since the network really needed to fill a slot. the request was sent to robert fuller’s agent, who presented it to him. robert fuller immediately said no. he wanted to do another western. despite his agent’s pressing, telling him that there was no western on the horizon and he better take what he could get, fuller remained adamant. finally, his agent told him fine, don’t take it. but the least you can do is go down to webb and tell him to his face. robert fuller went along with that, and all i can say is thank god he did. he went down to jack webb’s office, tried to tell him he wouldn’t do the show, and left with the role. webb was able to convince robert fuller to do the show.

watching once upon a time in hollywood, i thought about this story again. of course, there wouldn’t have been any charles manson cults or blood and gore or murderously loving dogs, but had robert fuller not gone down to jack webb’s office when he did, his career may have ended up like rick dalton’s. is that the only reason i enjoyed the movie? quite possibly, yes. but that’s okay.

regardless, bob fuller did take the role. in january of 1972, the pilot episode of emergency! aired on nbc. and for the next seven years, robert fuller became an unforgettable dr brackett. 

La nueva serie policial que llega a Universal TV y que se propone cambiar el género

“Almost Paradise” se centra en un miembro retirado de la DEA que decide reiniciar su vida lejos de la tensión de su antiguo trabajo, aunque, el deber siempre llama y él no podrá hacer caso omiso. La producción se plantea, concretamente, la disyuntiva entre el hacer y el ser, y la vocación.