February 6, 2008 - 3:03PM

American TV network NBC is so confident the US version
of Kath and Kim will be a hit with US audiences it
ordered six episodes of the show today.

It is common practice for a TV network to shoot just a
pilot episode for a new show to test its likely
success.

Often the pilot is not turned into a series and the
project is dropped.

NBC, however, will skip the pilot and shoot the six
episodes.

The US version of Kath and Kim, based on the popular
Australian sitcom, will star well-known American
actresses Molly Shannon and Selma Blair.

The series is expected to begin shooting six weeks
after the screenwriters' strike is resolved.

"This hilarious new series exemplifies how we are
changing the pilot process by ordering shows that we
believe in and green-lighting them straight to
series," NBC Entertainment co-chairman Ben Silverman
said.

"We are confident that this proven international hit
will effortlessly translate to American audiences and
we couldn't be more excited that Molly and Selma will
be playing the leads."

Silverman has had huge success turning foreign TV
shows into US hits.

He bought the rights to the Colombian version of Ugly
Betty and the British series The Office and made
successful US versions out of both.

The US Kath and Kim, just like the Australian series,
will follow the dysfunctional relationship between
mother Kath and her daughter Kim.

Shannon, best known for her days as a star of Saturday
Night Live, will play Kath and Blair, who has starred
in romantic comedies A Guy Thing and The Sweetest
Thing, will become Kim.

The Australian stars of the sitcom, Gina Riley and
Jane Turner, will be executive producers of the US
series.

The three month screenwriters' strike is expected to
be resolved within the next week.

AAP


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