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Russell Brand and FX in business, new series on horizon

By April MacIntyre Dec 15, 2011, 17:57 GMT

Russell Brand - 22nd Annual Friendly House "Giving Back" Awards Luncheon Honoring Russell Brand with the "Man of the Year" Award - Beverly Hilton Hotel - Beverly Hills, CA, USA © Gisele Rebeiro / PR Photos

FX and Russell Brand are collaborating on a new six half-hour series that will highlight the musings of Brand on politics and pop culture, similar in ways to Bill Maher's HBO series "Real Time".

FX has closed a deal with acclaimed actor/comedian Russell Brand for six half-hour installments of an unscripted late night series (untitled), which will debut in the spring of 2012, announced Nick Grad, Executive Vice President, Original Programming, FX.

Brand’s take on current events, politics and pop culture will be the centerpiece of the series. The six installments will be shot in front of a live audience and the format will draw heavily on interaction with that audience.

From FX

“We’re very excited to add Russell Brand’s bracingly funny, original, and honest voice to the FX comedy line-up,” said Grad.   “We look forward to supporting Russell and his partner Troy Miller’s ambition to strip down the hosted comedy format to its most fundamental elements and to create something daring and unfiltered for the FX audience.”

The series is produced by FX Productions in association with Branded Films and Dakota Films. This marks the first television deal for Branded Films. Executive Producers are Russell Brand, Troy Miller, and Nik Linnen. Miller also serves as Director of the series.

“I am so excited I'm on the point of climax, in fact I will put the "O" into FX, which spells FOX, which is actually the channel's real name,” said Brand. “That's the only thing that worries me about all this to be honest. At least I'll be able to have a Christmas drink with Bill O'Reilly.”

Brand starred as a sotted rocker ‘Aldous Snow’ in the Judd Apatow produced Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Get Him to the Greek, Russell Brand can soon be seen in the upcoming musical Rock of Ages. His other film credits include the Disney hit, Bedtime Stories, Warner Bros. Arthur (which marked Brand’s first role as a producer) and The Tempest. He has also lent his voice to animated films such as Hop and Despicable Me.

Brand has written two books, My Booky Wook: A Memoir of Sex, Drugs and Stand-Up, which was on The New York Times best-seller list for five weeks in a row, and the follow up, Booky Wook 2: This Time It’s Personal.

2011 marked a banner year for FX comedy series. Sunny is enjoying its best ratings ever and remains the highest-rated comedy in FX history, now into its 7th season. Wilfred, which debuted in June, was the number-one comedy premiere ever for FX and is the highest-rated first season comedy in FX history.  Louie, starring Louis C.K., was named TIME magazine’s best show of 2011, and received AFI honors as one of the Ten Most Outstanding Programs of 2011, as well as Television Critics Association Broadcast Television Journalists Association award nominations for Outstanding Comedy Series.

Louis C.K. received Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (an FX first) and also Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series. Louis C.K. and Pamela Adlon received a WGA Award nomination in the Comedy Series category.

FX is also home to exceptional drama series Sons of Anarchy, and critically acclaimed hit drama series Justified.