Doug Ellin Penning Workplace Comedy About Maserati Dealership
Entourage co-creator and showrunner Doug Ellin is in talks with several television production studios to develop a workplace comedy about four lifelong friends who work at a Beverly HillsÂ Maserati dealership, The Daily Currant can reveal. Refusing to rest on his laurels after the mega-successfulÂ run of Entourage on HBO, Ellin has been busy developing new comedyÂ seriesÂ for the premium network under an overall deal with his Fly The Coop production company.Ellin has shot two pilots under the deal:"40" whichÂ concernedÂ a group of 40 something friends and "Da Brick" , anÂ Entourage meets professional boxing drama. Â HBO has not picked up either. "As much as I lovedÂ The Office, andÂ The Thick of It,Â I couldn't help but notice the lack ofÂ Maseratis" "After the failure of my first two post-Entourage projects, I decided to go back to the drawing board. I took a look at what's hot right now and decided a workplace mockumentary would be a good next step," the Emmy winning writer explains. In an unusual move, Ellin then decided to look to his fellow television writers for inspiration: "I finally caught up on some great British shows from Ricky Gervais andÂ Armando Iannucci. They were fantastic. They gave me a ton of great ideas. Â But I have to sayÂ as much as I lovedÂ The Office, and The Thick of It I couldn't help but notice the lack ofÂ Maseratis." Porn Scenes From an Italian Showroom Ellin says his pilot - tenatively titiled "MAS" - will focus on theÂ relationshipsÂ between a salesperson, a mechanic, a customer support representative, and a "VIP"Â liaison" in charge of givingÂ MaseratisÂ to Hollywood stars as product placements. Its expected to be shot single camera and have a very fly-on-the-wall feel to it and promises to feature sexy celebrities in their designer automobiles. "I want to make the viewer feel that they are really a part of the Maserati exprience," he explains. Fans of Entourage will recall that the Ã¼ber-expensiveÂ Italian cars were often featured as key plot devices for no particular reasonÂ discernibleÂ to the viewer. HBO has passed on the project, but has allowed Ellin to shop it to other networks. "We see zero risk of this show becoming a competitive threat," explains a VP for comedy development at HBO. But Ellin isÂ impassionedÂ and determined to see his vision through, saying he'll finance the pilot himself if he has to: "I made enough money with Entourage to last a lifetime. This is not about product placement. Not at all...There is something universal and human about The Maserati. Maybe we all can't afford one, but we all would drive one if we could....I want to explore that." Ellin takes a long pause as a tear wells up in his eye: "I need to explore that."