Peacock stokes 'Strokes'
Inside look at 'Mork,' 'Shirley,' 'Bewitched' also planned

 Whatchoo talkin' about, NBC?

 As part of its "Behind the Camera" franchise, Peacock is developing a two-hour look at the drama surrounding the hit '80s NBC sitcom, "Diff'rent Strokes." Greg Pincus is writing a script for the project, which is one of several TV tales in the works at NBC.

NBC is also in early development on telepics focusing on the behind-the-scenes drama of ABC hits "Mork & Mindy," "Laverne & Shirley" and "Bewitched." NBC has previously produced telepics on ABC hits "Three's Company" and "Charlie's Angels."

"The franchise has performed quite well for us," said NBC longform topper Jeff Gaspin, who also heads alternative programming at NBC and is prexy of Bravo. Most recent "Charlie's Angel" pic was just so-so in raw numbers, "but when we got in the upscale demos for 'Angels,' it was off the chart," Gaspin added.

Gary Coleman and Todd Bridges have signed on as consultants on the "Diff'rent Strokes" telefilm, which Gaspin said will tread cautiously when dealing with many of the tragic events surrounding the sitcom -- including the death of star Dana Plato.

"If you get it right, this is a cautionary tale about kids in Hollywood," he said. "We need to do it in a non-exploitative manner."
 

Source: Variety.com (Posted: Thursday, March 25th, 2004)

NBC finds 'Strokes' stars
'Diff'rent' pic for Peacock

NBC has given producer Stan Brooks the green light to produce a two-hour "Behind the Camera" telepic about hit Peacock laffer "Diff'rent Strokes."

Bobb'e J, most recently seen on "The Tracy Morgan Show," has been cast to play the young Gary Coleman in the project. Both Coleman and co-star Todd Bridges have also signed on as consultants to the project and will appear in on-camera interviews during the pic, which will blend scripted and unscripted elements.

In addition, Verda Bridges -- sister of Todd Bridges -- will play the siblings' mother. Robert Bailey Jr. has been cast to play the older Coleman in the pic, which is being produced via Brooks' Once Upon a Time Prods.

There's no casting yet for the role of "Strokes" star Dana Plato, who died of a drug overdose in 1999.

Production starts next week in Vancouver, with Robert IscoveRobert Iscove helming. Greg Pincus and Susan Rinehart wrote the script, and Brooks will exec produce with Scott W. Anderson; Damian Ganczewski is a producer.

Unauthorized telepic, in development since last year (Daily Variety, March 26) will depart from the usual "Behind the Camera" format by not just focusing on the time during which the show aired (1978-86), but also examining what happened to the cast long after the cameras stopped rolling.

Brooks, who produced the "Three's Company" and upcoming "Mork and Mindy" editions of the "Behind the Camera" franchise, said "Strokes" promises to be the most dramatic pic of the series "by far."

Other pics, he said, deal with careers falling apart. "With this one, what's at stake was people's lives," Brooks said.

"The thesis of this movie is, Where were the parents in all this? The studios, the networks, the managers -- all the people benefiting from the success of this show never looked at the effect it was having (on the young cast). They stole their childhood."

Pic reps the first time a "Behind the Camera" title has focused on an NBC skein. Brooks is currently casting for a thesp to play late Peacock topper Brandon Tartikoff, and he said he's hoping Mr. T will agree to re-create his famed cameo on "Strokes."

While Coleman and Bridges are consultants on the pic, they didn't have approval on the script and, in fact, didn't see the script until after the pic was greenlit, Brooks said.

"We didn't have to do much to make (Coleman) sympathetic," Brooks said. "You can't spend five minutes with the guy without feeling some sympathy for his plight."

This is not the first "Strokes" telepic. A few years ago, Fox produced "After 'Diff'rent Strokes': When the Laughter Stopped."

NBC is expected to air the "Mork and Mindy" edition of "Behind the Camera" in early April.
 

Source: Variety.com (Posted: Wednesday, February 23rd, 2005)

BEHIND THE CAMERA: GROWIN' UP DIFFERENT (NBC) - The Peacock has greenlit production on the fourth installment of its "Behind the Camera" franchise, a look at the 1978-86 NBC comedy "Diff'rent Strokes." Bobb'e J ("The Tracy Morgan Show") will topline the cast as Gary Coleman with Robert Bailey Jr. as his brother and Verda Bridges (the real-life sister of Todd Bridges) as their mother. In addition, both Coleman and Bridges will serve as consultants on the project, as well as appear in on-camera interviews during the broadcast. Production is set to begin next week in Vancouver with Robert Iscove directing from a script by Greg Pincus and Susan Rinehart. Stan Brooks and Scott W. Anderson then will serve as executive producers through the former's Once Upon a Time Productions with Damian Ganczewski producing. "Diff'rent" joins previous "Behind the Camera" entries "Three's Company," "Charlie's Angeles" and the soon-to-debut "Mork & Mindy."
 

Source: the futon critic (Posted: Thursday, February 24th, 2005)

NBC GOES BACK TO THE FUTURE WITH "BEHIND THE CAMERA" MOVIE THAT DEPICTS BACKSTAGE STORY OF POPULAR SERIES "DIFF'RENT STROKES" WITH CAUTIONARY TALE OF CHILD STARDOM

Series Stars Gary Coleman and Todd Bridges to Serve as Consultants. Bobb'e J Thompson stars as a young Gary Coleman

BURBANK, Calif. -- February 28, 2005 -- NBC will re-visit one of television's most popular comedy series, "Diff'rent Strokes" with a new movie that serves as a powerful cautionary tale about the tragedies and challenges facing the child stars of the sitcom in "Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of 'Diff'rent Strokes.'" Production will begin this month in Vancouver, Canada. Original cast members, Gary Coleman and Todd Bridges will serve as consultants on the movie and will also appear in on-camera interviews.

"Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of 'Diff'rent Strokes'" not only takes us behind the scenes of the popular sitcom, but also follows the lives of Gary Coleman, Todd Bridges, and Dana Plato in the years after the series went off the air, as their lives spiraled downward. In addition, it also takes a look at the pitfalls of child stardom.

"Diff'rent Strokes" premiered on NBC on November 3, 1978 and concluded in 1986. Coleman and Bridges starred as Arnold and Willis Jackson, respectively, two orphaned children from Harlem who were adopted by wealthy businessman Phillip Drummond. The brothers' sudden lifestyle change from poverty to the penthouse made the comedy an instant hit for NBC.

The movie -- which follows previous Behind the Camera movies by NBC that successfully re-created the story and era surrounding "Three's Company" and "Charlie's Angels" -- will be produced by Once Upon a Time Films. Bobb'e J Thompson (NBC's "The Tracy Morgan Show") has been cast to play a young Gary Coleman, and Verda Bridges, Todd Bridges' real life sister, has been cast to play Todd Bridges' mother.

In addition, NBC will also broadcast "Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of 'Mork & Mindy'" a movie version of the backstage story of the comedy "Mork and Mindy," which launched Oscar winner Robin Williams' career.

"Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of 'Diff'rent Strokes'" is executive-produced by Stanley M. Brooks (NBC's "Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of 'Three's Company'") and Scott W. Anderson (NBC's "Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of 'Three's Company'"), with Damian Ganczewski (NBC's "Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of 'Three's Company'") producing. Robert Iscove ("She's All That") will direct from a script written by Greg Pincus and Susan Rinehart.
 

 Source: NBC (Posted: Monday, February 28, 2005

WHATCHOO TALKIN' 'BOUT?

'DIFF'RENT Strokes," the popular '80s series that produced lots of laughs — and plenty of real-life heartache for its stars — will get the "Behind the Camera" treatment from NBC.

Shooting will begin in Vancouver this month on "Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of 'Diff'rent Strokes,' " with original cast members Gary Coleman and Todd Bridges serving as consultants and appearing in on-camera interviews.

"Diff'rent Strokes," which aired on NBC from 1978-1986, was known as much for its off-screen drama as for its on-screen laughs — and for its young co-stars becoming poster children for bad behavior once the show ended.

Dana Plato, who played Kimberly Drummond on the series, died at age 34 in 1999 in what was ruled a suicide because of her longtime drug addiction.

The diminutive Coleman — who played Arnold Jackson and uttered the show's catchphrase-"Whatchoo talkin' 'bout?!" — ended up suing his parents for misappropriation of funds.

Bobb'e J. Thompson ("The Tracy Morgan Show") will portray a young Coleman—while Verda Bridges, the real-life sister of Todd Bridges, will play Bridges' mother.

On the series, co-star Conrad Bain played a widowed Manhattan millionaire who adopts two orphaned brothers (Coleman, Bridges) from Harlem.

The "Diff'rent Strokes" movie will be the third in NBC's "Behind the Camera" franchise.