One Wilmington-shot TV show is canceled, but another is renewed
John Staton
Wilmington's film industry lost one Fox TV show over the weekend, but appears to have retained another one.
Multiple industry publications, including Variety and Deadline, are reporting that quirky comedy "Welcome to Flatch," which shot largely in the Pender County town of Burgaw last year and in 2020, will be renewed for a second season.
The renewal was a bit surprising for the low-rated show. But many in the industry expected "Flatch," which premiered in March, might get a second season after it made it through the recent "upfronts" gathering over the weekend, when TV executives and advertisers hash out plans for the fall season.
The news comes on the heels of reports from multiple industry publications on Friday that another low-rated Fox show, "Our Kind of People," which shot in Wilmington in 2020 and 2021 and premiered last fall, would not be renewed for a second season.
'Welcome to Flatch':Locally shot 'Welcome to Flatch' premieres on Fox to mixed reviews, clear view of Burgaw
'Our Kind of People':Wilmington-shot 'Our Kind of People' premieres on Fox, showcases region and Black issues
Both shows were seen as risky bets for Fox when they were announced, but in most every other way, including their apparent fates, the two Fox shows couldn't be more different.
"Flatch" is a mockumentary about small-time life with a mostly white cast that centers on best friends and cousins Shrub and Kelly Mallet (played by Sam Straley and the single-named comic Holmes), two unemployed, mischief-making young people. It also stars Seann William Scott ("American Pie") as the mild-mannered pastor of the Flatch Unitarian Church.
It's got an extremely dry style of humor some have compared to "The Office" or even to "Schitt's Creek," two shows whose success Fox no doubt would love "Flatch" to emulate.
"Our Kind of People," on the other hand, was a soapy drama with an almost entirely Black cast. Based on Lawrence Otis Graham's 1999 book "Our Kind of People: Inside America's Black Upper Class," it starred actress and model Yaya DaCosta as a woman with a hardscrabble Boston upbringing on a mission to break into the Black elite living in the town of Oak Bluffs on Martha's Vineyard.
Fox's strategy for the shows was very different as well.
"Our Kind of People," which was tweeting from its official Twitter account as recently as a week ago, was based on a traditional model, with new episodes airing each week, for both broadcast and streaming.
"Flatch," however, has followed more of a hybrid approach. The show made the first seven of its 14 episodes available for streaming on Hulu and the Fox Now app in March while also continuing to air weekly episodes on TV.
An eighth episode dropped on May 5, and two more aired and went live online last week. (The show airs 9 p.m. Thursdays.)
No word yet when — or if — "Flatch" will return to shoot new episodes in the Wilmington area.
Filming in Wilmington:After a record-setting year, Wilmington's film industry waits for 2022 calendar to fill up
It's been a slow year so far for the Wilmington film industry, which had a record-setting 2021 in terms of money spent by movie and TV productions.
Right now, the only two things filming in the area are the gritty Starz drama "Hightown" in Wilmington and the feature comedy "The Problem with Providence," which is shooting largely in Southport.
Another feature, "Boys of Summer," starring Mel Gibson and Kevin James, wrapped in Southport earlier this year. "George & Tammy," a major country music miniseries starring Michael Shannon as George Jones and Jessica Chastain as Tammy Wynette, wrapped production in Wilmington.
Contact John Staton at 910-343-2343 or John.Staton@StarNewsOnline.com.