Some expect the show to be a dark comedy, but others close to the writing team characterize it as sardonically witty, more like Dilbert goes to school than Yossarian goes to war. Witty repartee and intellectual comedy runs deep and strong with Whoopi Goldberg cast as a snarky but passive aggressive school superintendent--a stark counterpoint to Steenburgen's role as a newly elected school board member. Steenburgen's character, who only recently moved from a distant, more rural state sports a bambi-in-the-headlights demeanor backed by a sharp analytical mind and reveals herself to be a mental fencer who deftly kills with the sharp point rather than the dull edge. Ted Danson, who is directing is also co-producing the program with Steenburgen and insiders are expecting a lively set with out-takes that may become a movie unto themselves.
The actress was briefly interviewed while leaving her limo to board a private jet out of PDK and she expressed her gratitude for the opportunity to gain first hand experience in a modern urban school setting and acquire a better understanding of the practical underpinnings of diversity in culture, ambitions and goals as it relates to the community and the practical realities of complex social and political systems. She has been quoted as saying "there are things out there you simply cannot learn by reading a book and are never found in a script's stage directions." Her parting words, "I learned it truly takes a village and a big enough village can afford a number of idiots", will surely find a place in the script.
Mark your calendars, the first season is expected in fall of 2014.
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