CBS' Swingtown: We Hardly Knew Ye
Dec 14, 2007, 04:50 PM | by Lynette Rice
Categories: TV Biz
It was quite possibly the most provocative drama series set to debut during the 2007-08 season. Too bad we still don't know when it will see the light of day. CBS had originally planned a midseason launch for Swingtown, the racy drama, from Mike Kelley (Jericho), set in the '70s about swinging married couples in a Chicago suburb. But the strike disrupted production before the cast and crew could shoot and edit more than two additional episodes beyond the pilot. CBS won't debut a show with only three episodes, so Swingtown is on hold -- for now. It's hard for network insiders to predict when the show could debut, given the ongoing labor dispute, but executive producer Carol Barbee told EW that it'll be worth the wait.
"It is pretty titillating. It's about sex and swinging!" she says of the show, which stars Melrose Place's Grant Show. "But it's a family drama at its core. It has a Wonder Years quality. We're seeing the events that went on in the country through the eyes of the kids. There's a total teen drama underneath it all. It's not like HBO, in which there will be in-your-face sex. It's more about the emotional landscaper and what people are searching for."
Barbee says the Swingtown writing team was able to complete six scripts in varying stages before the strike hit, so the show could conceivably resume production quickly if the strike is resolved sooner rather than later. The total network order for the show is 13 episodes and boasts a musical score by Liz Phair, a longtime buddy of the creator. "Liz came up with the main title sequence," says Barbee. "We want to throw out this feeling that a party is going on, come to the party! There's a huge amount of optimism and warmth as these characters try to feel their way through situations, try to find excitement in their lives. In my heart, I know Swingtown is a really good show."
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