TBS, using the unique model created by Debmar-Mercury with Tyler Perry’s House of Payne and Meet the Browns, is teaming with Joe Roth and Ice Cube for Are we There Yet?, a sitcom starring Terry Crews (Everybody Hates Chris) and based on the hit Revolution Studios film of the same name. TBS has ordered 10 episodes of the new sitcom, slated to premiere in June 2010, with the option for an additional 90 episodes. The series is produced by Cube Vision and distributed by Debmar-Mercury. Revolution’s Joe Roth and Cube Vision’s Ice Cube and Matt Alvarez serve as executive producers, along with award-winning show-runner Ali LeRoi, who has won an Emmy for his work on The Chris Rock Show and an NAACP Image Award for Everybody Hates Chris. In addition to executive-producing, Ice Cube will have a recurring role.
The movie Are We There Yet?, a breakout 2005 hit, told the story of Nick (Ice Cube), a smooth operator who is trying to land a date with Suzanne, a divorcee stuck working out of town over New Year’s and miserable because she misses her kids. Nick gallantly offers to make her New Year’s wish come true and his own in the process by driving her two children to be reunited with their mom. What Nick doesn’t know is that Suzanne’s children, whom he’s never met, hate every man their mom dates on sight. The movie grossed more than $82 million at the box office and was followed in 2007 by a sequel, Are We Done Yet?
In the sitcom, Crews will star as Nick, the character Ice Cube played in the film.
“Are We There Yet? was a hit family movie that transitions seamlessly into a television show,” Roth said. “There is nothing quite like it currently on television. Teaming Cube Vision with Ali LeRoi to create this show with the astoundingly funny Terry Crews is a perfect way to continue the Are We There Yet? franchise.”
Debmar-Mercury’s association with TBS began in 2006, when the company devised a groundbreaking distribution strategy for Tyler Perry’s House of Payne. Debmar-Mercury offered a 10-episode experiment in select markets that produced strong ratings, leading TBS to order a full-fledged series with an unprecedented 100 episodes. In January, TBS premiered 10 episodes of Tyler Perry’s Meet the Browns to strong ratings, leading the network to order additional episodes for a total of 80. So far this year, the two series have ranked as the top television programs in delivery of African-American viewers.
