Swartzlander
"Rodney" creator-showrunner Ric Swartzlander has inked a two-year overall deal at Touchstone Television.
Seven-figure pact comes even as the fate of "Rodney" is very much in the air. Sophomore sitcom has had a tough time gaining traction this season opposite tough competition from the likes of "American Idol," "NCIS" and "Gilmore Girls."
Swartzlander has been one of ABC and Touchstone's key comedy producers for nearly a decade, going back to his days as a scribe-producer on "Grace Under Fire." He's since worked on a series of Alphabet laffers, including "Ellen," "Sports Night" and "8 Simple Rules," as well as Touchstone skeins for other networks ("Daddio").
Outside the Touchstone fold, Swartzlander co-created "Hidden Hills" for NBC.
Deal with Touchstone, retroactive to last summer, runs through June 2007.
While "Rodney" is very much a traditional four-camera family laffer, Swartzlander said his future development projects wouldn't necessarily be similar.
"I really enjoy that format, but I'm open to just about anything," he said. "It's about the show, and the number of cameras you point at it doesn't make any difference."
CAA-repped scribe also said he's open to trying something other than a sitcom. "I'd love to look at the possibility of an hourlong show with a lot of comic elements," he said.
Noting that he's been at ABC or Touchstone for almost all of his career, Swartzlander said he's "comfortable with all of the people there" and has "a good relationship with them."
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