BBC and C4 snap up US comedies

The BBC and Channel 4 have snapped up a raft of US comedies, including the next series of Curb Your Enthusiasm.

E4 has bought Larry David’s cult comedy – which has previously aired on BBC Four as well as the Channel 4 sibling - as part of a deal with Warner Bros.

The package also includes The War at Home, a new comedy from Will & Grace and Ellen writer Rob Lotterstein which goes out on America’s Fox network this autumn.

It’s a family-based sitcom about parents struggling to bring up three teenage childnre which ‘ goes inside the heads of the modern family through the use of a confessional space, where the characters reveal everything they could never say to one another.’

The Channel 4/E4 deal also includes new seasons of The O.C., One Tree Hill and The West Wing as well as new drama Invasion, about a Florida town struggling with the aftermath of a hurricane, and Reunion, charting the lives of a group of six friends from youth to adulthood.

Jeffrey R. Schlesinger, president of Warner Bros. International Television, said: ‘Channel 4 and E4 have been a wonderful and successful broadcast home to many of our series throughout the years. We are delighted that these networks will be become home to some of our new series.’

Meanwhile, the BBC has also brought a new American comedy before it’s even aired in the States.

How I Met Your Mother, an ensemble comedy set in New York, will air on BBC Two and Three next year.

The 13 25-minute episodes tell the story of a successful architect’s bachelor days in flashback, as he recounts the anecdotes to his two teenage children.

The BBC’s George McGhee said: ‘We're delighted to have acquired broadcast rights to this innovative and funny series which will be a treat for BBC viewers.’

Published: 7 Jul 2005