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Planned HBO series has designs on Dallas womenTV: Comedy pilot will have some presence in city, sources say
The creators of Designing Women will lampoon a wealthy Dallas matriarchy in a fictional comedy series being developed for HBO. 12 Miles of Bad Road so far has been greenlighted for a one-hour pilot episode scheduled to be filmed this summer. "It's big and rambunctious," a source close to the production said Wednesday on condition of anonymity. So are the Ewings of Dallas, set to be reborn in a planned feature film. But in the HBO comedy, strong-willed women will be calling the shots. Most of 12 Miles of Bad Road will be made in Los Angeles, "but there will be some presence in Dallas," the source said. "Dallas is Dallas, and you can't duplicate it anywhere else." HBO, home of acclaimed TV touchstones such as The Sopranos and Sex and the City, would not comment Wednesday. But a second source said the new comedy's first script already has been written and approved by HBO. Future episodes would be a half-hour in length if HBO commits to a series. Casting is still in progress, but likely will be finalized this month. 12 Miles of Bad Road is from Mozark Productions, which was formed in 1983 by Harry Thomason and his wife, Linda Bloodworth-Thomason. Their biggest hit, Designing Women, ran on CBS from 1986 to 1993. Mozark subsequently produced Evening Shade and Hearts Afire for CBS but has been out of the prime-time TV game since 2001's Emeril flopped on NBC as a sitcom vehicle for chef Emeril Lagasse. The Thomasons, who declined to comment, also are longtime friends and political supporters of Bill and Hillary Rodham Clinton. In 1992, they wrote and produced Mr. Clinton's official presidential campaign biographical film, A Man From Hope. More recently, Mr. Thomason directed 2003's The Hunting of the President, a documentary film that detailed an alleged organized campaign to discredit Mr. Clinton. HBO makes far fewer pilots than the broadcast networks, giving 12 Miles of Bad Road a strong chance to progress to a series. But the premium cable network also has rejected several pilots in recent years, including Baseball Wives and a marital drama from NYPD Blue creator Steven Bochco. "It's all about the quality of the piece. But they don't go to pilot lightly," a source said of HBO. E-mail ebark@dallasnews.com
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