Will Smith Makes His Way Back to TV

1/01/2011 Posted by Admin

Will Smith Makes His Way Back to TV

Television News

By our guest blogger, Nick Hanover


Will Smith is set to be making his return to television with an "Alias"-style spy drama, according to Variety. The highly successful star began his acting career with the NBC sitcom "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," which went off air in 1996, and has focused primarily on blockbusters since. Smith's new spy show, which is currently untitled, is said to be set in China and will feature Chinese filmmaker Eva Jin at the helm. Smith and his Overbrook Entertainment partner James Lassiter have already found interest in the show from Fox and it seems likely that the network will pick up the show once the pilot is complete.

Smith and Lassiter have also begun shopping around a network TV version of Smith's hit film "Hitch." While Smith has a high profile, it's unclear whether the star will occasionally appear in front of the camera as well or if these projects will just be backed by him. Even with Smith's fame and success, the public doesn't seem to be as interested in shows like "Alias" or "24" anymore, with "Undercovers," a similarly minded effort from former "Alias" creator J.J. Abrams, failing this year. A network TV version of "Hitch" could fare better since traditional sitcoms have done extremely well this year with the likes of "How I Met Your Mother," "Two and a Half Men" and "The Big Bang Theory "all topping the ratings.

However, television does seem to be a much more stable and reliable source of revenue currently than its film counterpart has been, making Smith just one of many Hollywood stars who are looking to the silver screen as a new avenue. Earlier this year, Frank Darabont had massive success with AMC's "The Walking Dead," setting records for viewership on cable and Mark Wahlberg, Martin Scorcese and company pulled in great numbers with "Boardwalk Empire," making the appeal of television for Hollywood stars all the more appetizing.

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