FX sizing up reality
'Days' will probe how the other half lives
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Project, the first pilot order from FX entertainment topper John Landgraf, will be produced by Spurlock's shingle the Con and Silverman's Reveille Entertainment. Spurlock and Silverman are exec producers.
A look at life on the other side, "30 Days" will place a willing participant in a life that starkly contrasts his or her own for a period of 30 days. Possible storylines may involve a rich person living in poverty or a prosecuting attorney spending time in jail.
Series takes a page from Spurlock's award-winning doc "Super Size Me," which chronicled the side effects of a monthlong experiment in which he ate only fast food. Pic, which he wrote and helmed, won the directing trophy at this year's Sundance Film Festival. Spurlock will not only exec produce "30 Days" but will be featured on-camera in the pilot as he documents the experience of the participant.
"Translating the socially conscious themes of 'Super Size Me' from the screen to television was a goal I'd had since our first test screening. We want to create a show that takes reality programming into a new direction, one that entertains, enlightens and can ultimately make a difference," Spurlock said.
Landgraf said "30 Days" reps FX's new focus on reality series that are entertaining but less contrived than its broadcast counterparts. Also representative of the new strategy is "NASCAR Drivers: 360," an unscripted series about the lives of racing stars that's slated to bow in May.
"In '30 Days,' the situation may be constructed but we're not manipulating the events that unfold in their experience. It's not a game; we're not pitting people against each other," he said. "We want our shows to present things that are real and authentic."
"I came into this job really excited about the scripted series on the air and the qualities of those shows," he continued. "They're challenging, provoking and have a strong point of view. We're trying to define an area of reality that parallels that quality."
Should the project receive a series pickup, plan is for each episode to condense an individual's 30-day experience into one hour, with a new person each week.
"It's not a warm and fuzzy idea. Like Morgan's film, I think this show promotes thought and conversation," Silverman said. "Having these people go through transformative experiences (is a way of humbly trying) to change the world one person at a time."
FX veeps Eric Schrier and Matt Cherniss worked with Landgraf to bring the project to the network. Pilot is in pre-production.
