CBS hoping hicks click
Eye shootin' at some crude with reality 'Hillbillies'
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Reality producers, that is. With a big idea. To resurrect "The Beverly Hillbillies" as a reality skein.
Fast-forward a few weeks: CBS will begin casting shortly for a weekly half-hour series that will follow the adventures of a rural, lower-middle class family -- yes, there will be a granny -- as they are transplanted from their humble digs to an actual Beverly Hills mansion.
During their one-year stay in California, they'll be afforded a wide variety of luxuries they'd normally be unable to afford, from maid service to personal assistants. They'll also have a chance to earn a substantial income each week, either via a stipend or through some other means.
Cameras will watch their every move as the rural clan attempts to fit in with folks who eat at the Grill rather than use a grill, or who shop at Harry Winston instead of Wal-Mart. And while the skein will focus on a group of five or six, it's expected their extended family will also stop by for a visit sometime during their stay in the mansion.
Pair worked on 'Austin'
Gary Auerbach, James Jones and Dub Cornett are exec producers of the skein, which will be produced by the Eye's inhouse reality unit. Jones and Auerbach worked together on MTV's reality skein "Austin Stories," which was created and exec produced by Jones. Cornett is a veteran documentarian who specializes in rural culture, with pics about moonshine and hillbilly dancers among his credits.
CBS alternative topper Ghen Maynard said the skein will have a humorous tone, though with a respect for the family and some elements of drama.
"It's a great fish-out-of-water story," he told Daily Variety. "A lot of it will be funny, but a lot of it will be real. We want to find a family that's different from what most people know but still relatable, a family that loves each other a lot."
Eye bought the concept almost immediately.
"It's rare that you hear an idea and in the first 30 seconds, you instantly get it," Maynard said. It helped that the Eye still owns the right to the "Beverly Hillbillies" title.
Maynard said that while there will be "some structure" to the show, most plots will come naturally -- a la MTV's "The Osbournes" or E!'s "The Anna Nicole Show."
"Imagine the episode where they have to interview maids," he said.
No intent at mockery
Maynard said the tentatively titled "Real Beverly Hillbillies" is not designed to mock the rural family, unlike scripted entertainment that often takes a dim view of hick culture.
"The intent is to be respective but at the same time enjoy the humor that comes from the fish-out-of-water scenario of the show," he said. "We want a family who has a sense of humor about themselves."
Maynard expects to have several episodes of "Hillbillies" in the can before the show launches, but it's possible some future episodes will focus on how the fame of the Eye TV show further changes the clan.
While the family will be afforded numerous luxuries, they won't truly live like millionaires.
"It will be lavish, but not to the point of absurdity," Maynard said.
And while the new "Hillbillies" will borrow the overall structure of the original laffer, many elements of the first show will not be repeated. It's not a given, for example, that the family will get their own Miss Jane Hathaway.
A hotline is expected to be opened within days allowing potential families to audition for the show.
Eye net aired the first "Beverly Hillbillies" from 1962 until 1971, producing 274 episodes. Skein was one of the linchpins of the net's former dominance of rural communities, who tuned in for "Hillbillies," "Green Acres," "The Andy Griffith Show" and other countrified fare.
At one point, the show was TV's No. 1 program, attracting up to 60 million viewers weekly.
Buddy Ebsen starred as Jed Clampett in the first "Beverly Hillbillies," while Irene Ryan played Granny.
