IFC in with Fremantle's 'IT Crowd'
Brit sitcom will air in September
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The Independent Film Channel has acquired all three seasons of ``The IT Crowd,'' produced by U.K. shingle Talkback Thames for Blighty's Channel 4, from distrib FremantleMedia Enterprises.
Skein, about two geeky IT guys working for a large corporation, will launch Sept. 29 on IFC.
In the U.K., the series was one of the highest-rated laffers on Channel 4 last year, peaking with 3.4 million viewers.
A U.S. version, produced by Universal Media Studios and FremantleMedia North America, was set to join NBC's fall sked in September. However, the series was dropped soon after the arrival of entertainment boss Ben Silverman.
FME has also struck deals for two other British comedies: IFC has acquired seasons one and two of Rose d'Or winner ``Modern Toss,'' which combines live-action sketches with animation, while Adult Swim (the adult-skewed channel sharing space with Cartoon Network) has licensed cult BBC2 comedy ``Look Around You.''
Lisa Honig, FME's veep of program distribution for North America, said the company was finding increased demand for British comedy in the U.S. ``as cable channels acknowledge the growing appeal with young American audiences.''
Deals come on the top of other recent comedy sales in the U.S. for FME. BBC3 comedy series ``Pulling'' is due to premiere on the Sundance Channel in October, while BBC2 sketch show ``That Mitchell and Webb Look'' is airing on BBC America.
