If ABC's comedy "Samantha Who" returns for a third season, it will
be made a little differently.
Sources said the network is looking to add cameras when filming the
amnesia comedy starring Christina Applegate.
As a renewal condition for "Samantha," the network has asked the
show's producers at ABC Studios to slash $500,000 from its
per-episode budget.
A source close to the show said that if picked up, the comedy will
be filmed with three cameras simultaneously to cut down on
production time. In its first three seasons, "Samantha" employed
two cameras.
Despite rumors that the show may switch to a multi-camera format,
"Samantha" does not plan to move to filming on stage, keeping its
current sets and its single-camera look.
The networks have been very cost-conscious this year amid the
economic downturn and softening ratings. Once a hot prospect when
it launched in 2007 after "Dancing with the Stars," "Samantha" has
cooled off this season. Its recent trial run in the Thursday 8 p.m.
time slot was cut short because of low ratings.
The show was created by novelist Cecelia Ahern and TV writer Don
Todd, who is running the series.
Even if "Samantha" stays single-camera, ABC's entertainment chief
Stephen McPherson has been looking to get multi-camera comedies
back on the network that once dominated the genre with shows like
"Roseanne."
Another ABC series exploring the idea is veteran "Scrubs."
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