Smith
CBS is going for warm and fuzzy with "A Hero's Welcome," a reality project in the works from A. Smith & Co.
"It's a show that reunites heroes with the people whose lives they saved," said Arthur Smith, who's exec producing with Kent Weed and Tom Klein.
Patrick Duffy has been tapped to host. Eye has ordered a pilot and is mulling a series commitment.
A. Smith & Co. produces the Fox skeins "Skating With Celebrities" and "Hell's Kitchen."
Weed said "Hero's" will "be kind of like 'It's a Wonderful Life' " since producers will show how events might have been different if the hero in question hadn't intervened.
"These are regular people from all walks of life who just stepped up on a moment's notice," Weed said.
Self-contained episodes will each have two main elements: A movie-style re-creation of the heroic act and a reunion between all the parties involved.
Survivors will then work with producers to plan a special event for the person who saved their lives as a way of thanking them.
"It's got the drama of the lifesaving event and the emotion of these people coming together again," Smith said. "It's about rewarding someone who's deserving. There's a lot of closure in the show."
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