Earlier today, yours truly read via the Hollywood Reporter that Disney's ABC Studios (formerly Walt Disney Television) has a Pilot Order with NBC for a sitcom adaptation of the hit Touchstone Pictures 1991 comedy film "What About Bob?," with a female-driven cast and rechristened "What About Barb?" The pilot, per the Hollywood Reporter, centers on a female Psychotherapist who treats a female patient (the aforementioned Barb), a hopeless patient who, thanks to the Therapist's treatment towards him, proves to be a deranged Stalker-type who won't leave his Therapist alone. As with the original "What About Bob?," Barb starts dating his Therapist's brother, eventually marrying him and becoming his Therapist's new sis-in-law. Any thoughts on this news?
Although it's largely been forgotten, I love What About Bob? and tend to watch it every couple years (in part due to spending a lot of time at the lake where it was filmed). That said, I'm not sure I'm excited about this concept. Sure, it has all sorts of potential for fun as a wacky sitcom, I'm really not sure those characters can stand up to an extended series. Part of what makes the film so fun is how over-the-top the two leads are, which will likely get exhausting after a couple episodes. I also wonder whether it might be uncouth these days to have a comedy about somebody's psychological issues (even if it turns out that the psychologist is the "crazy" one)
