Scoundrels” will start production on March 16 for the first eight episodes, which will premier on ABC TV this summer. The production will continue through June and will hire about 75 New Mexico crew members and about 1,500 extras.

The comedy/drama stars Virginia Madsen and focuses on a family of small-time criminals who attempt to go straight after their father is sent to prison. It’s based on the New Zealand series “Outrageous Fortune and the show is being written by Lyn Greene and Richard Levine, the team behind Nip/Tuck.

Most of the core cast of Scoundrels is confirmed, and the show is due to screen on the ABC in the northern summer.

Robyn Malcolm, who stars as tough-as-nails matriach Cheryl West, is predicting the US version will use the essence of the story – “a working-class criminal family trying to cope with their dad being put away and going straight”.Her ex, career criminal Wolf, will be played by Neal McDonough, who starred as Desperate Housewives’ baddie Dave Williams. The couple’s chalk-and-cheese teenage daughters Pascalle and Loretta – whose names will be changed to Vanessa and Hope – will be played by Leven Rambin, who has appeared on Grey’s Anatomy, and Vanessa Marano, who has been on the Young and the Restless and Gilmore Girls.

Twins Van and Jethro, played by Antony Starr on Outrageous, will be given the all-American names of Cal and Logan and be brought to life by Patrick Flueger, who has a Kiwi connection through his appearance in The World’s Fastest Indian.

Carlos Bernard will play cop Wayne Judd, who will be renamed Detective Sergeant Mack. Madsen aside, Malcolm is unfamiliar with the cast but reckons Bernard is “seriously sexy”.

She’d like to see veteran actor Robert Duvall playing the only main role yet to be cast – the hilarious Grandpa.

It’s ABC’s second attempt at adapting the Kiwi favourite. A pilot of the first version, Good Behavior, was filmed but no series was commissioned.

Malcolm can’t predict whether Scoundrels will be more successful than its short-lived predecessor, which she never saw, but she believes with two very experienced writers and a great cast, there’s no reason it shouldn’t be a hit.

Source: Nzherald.co.nz

Related Posts

• February 3, 2010 -- Virginia to star in ABC’s Scoundrels
• May 31, 2010 -- CTV picks up ABC’s Scoundrels
• June 14, 2010 -- Virginia’s TV Appearances
• June 28, 2010 -- Virginia Madsen on Good Morning America!