Disney Channel has greenlighted a new multicamera sitcom that lets the audience decide the outcome of certain scenes.
Just Roll With It, from co-showrunners Adam Small and Trevor Moore (Disney XD’s Walk the Prank), is described as a “first-of-its-kind format.” The show is a hybrid of a scripted family comedy and an improvisational comedy, in which the studio audience members select the outcome of certain scenes while the cast “just rolls with it.”
The series centers on the blended Bennett-Blatt family, focusing on step-siblings Blair (Kaylin Hayman, One Day at a Time) and Owen (Ramon Reed, Broadway musical The Lion King), who could not be more different. Blair, often a rebel without a cause, is the polar opposite of her strict, regimented, ex-military mom Rachel (Suzi Barrett, Kirby Buckets). Owen, a born athlete with a taste for scheduling and organization, is always trying to clean up his creative and charismatic father and morning radio show host Byron (Tobie Windham, Walk the Prank).
At the sound of a horn, the actors break from the scene and go backstage while the audience decides which of three outrageous stunts will take place next. Once votes are cast electronically, the actors return to the stage to continue the scene, waiting for the next surprise, which could be anything from being asked to eat a disgusting sardine, grasshopper and ice cream burrito to a man falling through the roof of the family home.
“The multicamera sitcom format has worked as a staple of TV for decades. So naturally, we aimed to totally upend it,” said Jonas Agin, vp original series at Disney Channels. “By introducing an element of audience interactivity that subverts the expectations of not only the viewers but also the cast, Just Roll With It is a true step in the evolution of comedic storytelling.”
Just Roll With It is a production of Kenwood TV Productions. Small and Moore serve as executive producers.
