Five buys another US sitcom

Channel Five has snapped up the rights to American sitcom Crazy For You as part of its push into comedy.

The station has already bought Friends spin-off Joey, for a staggering £500,000 an episode, and the Charlie Sheen vehicle Two And A Half Men.

Crazy For You, a New York romantic comedy about a pessimist who falls for an optimist, is expected to air on America’s NBC network in January. It stars relative newcomers Josh Cookeas the intellectual Nate Solomon, and Jennifer Finnigan as the “kooky” Marni Fliss.

The sicom will also air on the Paramount Comedy Channel, following the announcement of a deal between the cable broadcaster and Five to develop more comedy programming

Five outbid Channel 4 for the rights to Joey, starring Matt LeBlanc, pictured, to help it establish a comedy night next year.

When the deal was revealed, Jeffrey Schlesinger of distributors Warner Bros  said: "We are pleased Five has acquired the UK rights to Joey, which we expect will follow in the tradition of Friends, a series that was as popular in the UK as it was in the US, and Two and a Half Men, which we expect to be a hit."

Published: 2 Sep 2004