Howie Mandel, who currently hosts the international high stakes game show
Deal or No Deal, is spinning back to his comedic roots as he stars and produces a new comedy series for NBC. The show, which is called
Howie Do It, has been given a straight-to-series order, effectively bypassing the usual “make an expensive pilot” route to primetime that networks have relied upon in the past.
"I can't tell you how excited I am to be in business with NBC once again," Mandel said. "Working with them on
Deal or No Deal continues to be a phenomenal experience."
Your Take
addictedtotv said:
I've been noticing that some of the regular models have missing. Like where is Hayley?
According to the network,
Howie Do It, which comes from NBC's alternative programming department rather than the scripted development team, will be an "unscripted comedy series." Though not much has been revealed about what that specifically entails, word on the street is that the new show will put Mandel's improvisational skills to use.
Howie Do It comes nearly three years after Mandel's last unscripted effort,
Hidden Howie, which blended improvised comedy and hidden-camera elements.
Hidden Howie was developed first at NBC, and then jumped to cable sibling Bravo for a brief run in 2005. Though
Hidden Howie was unsuccessful, Mandel continued to grace television, making appearances on
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip,
The Great American Christmas,
My Name Is Earl and
Monk.
Aside from his new TV show, Mandel will also be a part of the animated movie
Noah's Ark: The New Beginning, which also features voices of Michael Keaton,
Jason Lee, Rob Schneider and Ben Kingsley, just to name a few.
Mandel is executive producing
Howie Do It along with Morgan Elliot, Michael Rotenberg and the
Scare Tactics team of Scott Hallock and Kevin Healey. Meanwhile, Mandel will also continue with his hosting duties on
Deal or No Deal, which airs every Monday and Wednesday at 8/7c on NBC.
-Kris De Leon, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: NBC, Zap2it.com
(Image courtesy of NBC)