More on the "Late Night Buffet"

The Hollywood Reporter has brought forth some new information on the in development Henson TV show titled "Late Night Buffet" (which I reported about earlier).

The show is being developed for TBS, who is looking to join the cable-TV late-night programming arena. TBS ordered a single half-hour pilot of "Late Night Buffet" from the Jim Henson Company (set to be taped on July 22 in Hollywood, CA). If TBS likes what they see, then "Late Night Buffet" could easily become part of TBS's upcoming late night line-up premiering next year.

As reported earlier, the show will not feature established Muppet characters, but rather "Late Night Buffet" will create a new universe of characters. Brian Henson and Bill Barretta are set as the main performers for the new "Late Night Buffet" characters. The show features Augustus Pfiffle, the host of "Late Night Buffett", who is joined by Delbert Kastle, his sidekick and fellow puppet character. The house band will also be puppets, introducing Gina Cappellini and her pet monkeys. Like most talk shows, the show will be filmed in front of a live studio audience and will be highly improvised (with very little, if any, specific scripting).

Brian Henson said that "It's a talk show where we improvise as we go…This is the kind of character-driven work we enjoy doing."

Michael Wright (TBS senior vice president of original programming) said that "it's a different way to approach the late-night talk show… It takes the Henson brand's intelligence and warmth and mixes it with a little wickedness and fun."

I'll keep you posted as more information on the upcoming show comes our way.