Simon Dunn

Scriptwriter and Comedian

A Sitcom Of Their Own

It’s quite the feat to have one of your movie screenplays adapted into a sitcom, so it’s rather remarkable that Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel have had THREE of theirs turned into sitcoms.

We looked at Parenthood the other day, which leaves Gung Ho, and A League Of Their Own.

Gung Ho was a 1986 movie directed by Ron Howard, starring Michael Keaton. A year later, the sitcom, developed by Edwin Blum, recast Scott Bakula in the main role.

I imagine it’s as problematic as it looks.

It lasted nine episodes.

In 1993, CBS aired A League Of Their Own, a sitcom based on the movie from the year before. Ganz and Mandel were the creators, and most of the roles were re-cast.

It’s rather faithful to the movie’s aesthetic, so I’m guessing they re-used lots of the costumes and props from the film.

It lasted only six episodes, one of which was never broadcast.

But like Parenthood, it’s having a second run at it, with a new series comissioned by Amazon coming soon.

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