CBS Adapting Keshet Comedy Format With ‘Smash’s Julie Rottenberg & Elisa Zuritsky
EXCLUSIVE: Top Israeli broadcaster Keshet, on whose format Showtime’s Emmy-winning drama Homeland is based, has added to a strong broadcast selling season with Mother’s Day, a comedy project at CBS based on an Israeli series. Smash co-executive producers Julie Rottenberg and Elisa Zuritsky will write the adaptation. It centers on 40-year-old Ella who, in order to successfully navigate through the demanding life of being a mother of three, a lover, a friend and a career woman, constantly lies her way out of and into situations — little lies, big lies, white and at times not-so-white lies.
The original series, which premiered on Keshet’s Channel 2 in August, was created by Daniela London-Dekel and Dana Eden, written by London-Dekel and produced by Eden’s Eden Prods. (Watch the English-language trailer below.) Rottenberg and Zuritsky executive produce the CBS version with London-Dekel, Eden and Keshet’s CEO Avi Nir and head of programming Ran Telem. Mother’s Day is produced by CBS TV Studios, which has optioned the format rights from Keshet.
Mother’s Day joins two other Keshet broadcast sales this season: drama M.I.C.E. at NBC written/directed/exec produced by Peter Berg, which has a put pilot commitment; and Tribes, a comedy at ABC from writer Greg Malins and Sony Pictures TV, which has penalty attached. CBS has been actively pursuing Israeli formats and was the first broadcast network to get a project based on an Israeli series on the air with the 2008 series Ex List.
Sex And The City alums Rottenberg and Zuritsky, repped by WME and Patti Felker, received two Emmy nominations for their work as writers on the HBO comedy. They’re now in their second season of NBC’s Smash. Keshet is with WME and Jim Jackoway.
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