'Borat' director inks deal with ABC
Charles returning to broadcast television
More Articles:
Most Viewed:
'New Moon' breaks box office records(6423 views)'Avatar' toys with augmented reality(2557 views)Spielberg, King team on 'Dome'(2464 views)Ever capable entrepreneur(1814 views)Planet 51(1636 views)'Oprah' to end run in 2011(1476 views) |
Signing reps a major get for the Alphabet production arm and, indirectly, its sister net. Despite scoring numerous successes in the one-hour arena -- including hybrid dramedies such as "Desperate Housewives" and "Ugly Betty" -- ABC Television Studio (ATS) has had decidedly less success in recent years establishing hit half-hour, syndie-friendly comedies.
Studio landed Charles as part a competitive bidding situation with 20th Century Fox TV. It's expected he'll write and direct a range of projects, including scripted and hybrid comedies and possibly even animation.
ATS prexy Mark Pedowitz said Charles will serve as a talent magnet for the studio.
"In the world of television comedy, Larry is legendary," Pedowitz said. "His creative vision and unique perspective have shaped the genre for more than a decade, and his track record speaks for itself. We're thrilled to have him, not just because of his direct impact on our comedy slate but because he'll attract other creative talent, people at the top of their game who want to work with the best."
In recent years, Charles has focused most of his TV energies on cable, helming and plotting numerous episodes of Larry David's "Curb Your Enthusiasm" for HBO. He also was exec producer on the first season of the cabler's "Entourage."
He's currently prepping production for HBO on an untitled Kanye West comedy pilot meshing elements of "Curb," "Entourage" and "Borat."
Despite his recent cable and feature work, Charles is no stranger to broadcast TV.
After working with David on the short-lived ABC skein "Fridays," Charles became a top writer-producer on "Seinfeld." He also served as showrunner on "Mad About You" during the height of that NBC show's success.
Under a deal at Sony, Charles also exec produced the "The Tick" and "Dilbert." In addition to "Borat," he directed the 2003 Bob Dylan pic "Masked & Anonymous."
Charles is repped by Endeavor.
