By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally filed Monday, July 13, 2015
While many cable networks have invested millions shooting scripted TV shows in Atlanta (MTV, BET, USA, the CW, to name a few), Atlanta-based Turner Entertainment hasn't been so keen on its hometown.
In fact, since tax credit incentives for production companies were improved in 2008, Turner's biggest entertainment networks TBS and TNT have shot zero scripted programs in Atlanta - until now.
A TBS comedy starring former "Daily Show" correspondent Jason Jones called "The Detour" is in production in Atlanta. His wife and fellow "Daily Show" alum Samantha Bee is producing. Both recently departed from "The Daily Show." She is also planning a late-night talk show on TBS, but I don't think that will be shot here.
Here's the official TBS description of "The Detour."
An honest and darkly comedic look at family, TBS's new series will follow a couple and their two young kids as they take a road trip to Florida. Jones stars as unfiltered dad Nate, who packs his wife, Robin (Zea), along with their rebellious daughter Delilah (Gerasimovich) and simpleton son Jared (Carroll), into the family car for what Nate is convinced will be the adventure of a lifetime. Every leg of their trip, however, is fraught with unforeseen disaster as they encounter one hellish turn after another. Plans call for each season of the show to chronicle a different family adventure.
It sounds a bit like the classic Chevy Chase 1982 film "Vacation." Westminster grad Ed Helms is starring in a reboot that comes out July 29.
TBS over the past decade has tried original scripted comedies galore, from the well-regarded "My Boys" to the current show "Clipped." But nothing has really stood out as a hit as the network continues to rely heavily on repeats of "The Big Bang Theory."
