With ‘From Scratch,’ Netflix cooks up its version of a Lifetime weepie
Netflix, which is not known for its drama or anything on the scripted end of the spectrum, is cooking up its take on a Lifetime weepie.
The comedy will debut as part of the cable giant’s Instant, a sort of “premium” series that gets only a few episodes’ screen time, as opposed to Lifetime’s typically two hours each week.
The series will star and executive produce with Jason Alexander, Sarah Jessica Parker and Jane Krakowski, with the latter three all former Lifetime employees. The series comes from “Tiger King” producer Marc Espinosa, a “Cedar Rapids” alum, and Michael De Luca, who most recently created and produced the short-lived “Masters of Horror” for the cable network.
“Tiger King,” which followed two brothers — one played by Robert Davi and the other by Jonathan Lipnicki — who used their combined wealth to prey on the illegal wildlife trade, ran for four seasons on Lifetime in the mid-1990s. It was one of the more successful horror franchises of the era.
Netflix
“Tiger King” spawned a series of movies, all released by Netflix. And while Netflix’s “House of Cards” is a political drama about a white-shoe political family, “Tiger King” and its recent spin-offs — “Dead Poets’ Society,” “Sueño” and the recent “Bloodline” — have a decidedly offbeat vibe. Perhaps that’s why Netflix tapped Alexander, whose most recent feature was “The Sessions” starring Al Pacino, as the series’ executive producer, showrunner and showrunner.
The series, while not particularly new to critics and audiences alike, will still be somewhat divisive because of the relatively low