Don’t know if this has ever happened before. A reality show turning into a TV dramedy series?
The HGTV show, “Selling New York” is about real estate agents in NYC who sell high-end apartments/condos in the multi-million dollar range. One group of agents on the show is the Kleier family - mother and two daughters - and they have written a book about their family and selling real estate. That book has now been optioned as a dramedy series to be aired by ABC Family channel, called Hot Property.
I suppose the premise isn’t horrible - mother and two daughters in the real estate biz for rich clients, plus the family dramas at home, with comic relief.
My only problem is that my SO and I watch Selling New York and the Kleiers are about the most obnoxious, self-absorbed, phony, slimy real estate agents you will ever meet. (They are only one set of real estate agents in this show - the others are nowhere near as bad.)
In one early episode, the mother mentions to her husband, “Great news! Paul and Diane are getting divorced! Now we can sell their condo and then get them each to buy a new one! Triple commission!” What a wonderful, caring friend to have as your real estate agent - delighting in your divorce for the potential triple commission. Warms the cockles of your heart, it does. (I always wondered if that Paul and Diane watched the show to hear that bitchy comment…)
Have there been any other reality shows that later turned into fictional TV series?
Does this mean we can anticipate FOX turning American Idol into a dramedy as well?
Will we get to see Pawn Stars as a sitcom?
Are we going to get to see The Honey Boo Boo Show dramedy staring Quvenzhané Wallis?
I was a huge fan of The American Family when it first aired. Back then, the word was that the Loud family was still listed in the phone book and one night I actually called and spoke briefly with Bill Loud - the father in that reality series. A very nice guy, and he seemed genuinely pleased to hear how much I liked the show. We talked about 5 minutes.
The recent movie was more or less an exact copy of that first reality series, simply shortened to fit in a movie. It wasn’t bad and did get the essence of the original show for those who had never seen it.
Hot Property will be a series, based off of the book, which is based off the reality series. This damedy will be with totally fictionalized plots and characters - then again, as I mentioned in the OP, the Kleiers are already a piece of work, so who will know what is fiction and what isn’t.