Adam Rippon to produce a comedy series on figure skating

[Edwin]

Adam Rippon to Produce Figure Skating Comedy Series in Development at NBC

Champion figure skater Adam Rippon is developing a comedy series about figure skating at NBC, Variety has learned.

variety.com

Is he funny? I think he is.

 

[karne]

I am worried that this will turn into a mockery of Adult skating, especially with that line in the article about "underwhelming talent".

 

[Edwin]

wonder if any of the currents stars is likely to get involved?

you are probably right, adult skating, where is the fun in that?

 

[Lunalovesskating]

wonder if any of the currents stars is likely to get involved?

you are probably right, adult skating, where is the fun in that?

You either don't know adult skaters or you know the wrong ones.

 

[karne]

you are probably right, adult skating, where is the fun in that?

And that is exactly why I fear for this series.

 

[ladyjane]

There's a lot of fun in adult skating, at least I am enjoying it. I wouldn't expect Adam to make a mockery of adult skating though.

 

[Edwin]

creating a series around teenage skating is probably out of bounds. Hasn't there been a series on that in the USA already?

when 'adult skating' is mentioned, perhaps I am confusing this with the 'silver' and 'gold' categories in certain events shown online?

of course it's fun on the part of the participants.

So, let's wait for the first episode of this new series. And let's hope Rippon does a good job with the producing team.

 

[WednesdayMarch]

wonder if any of the currents stars is likely to get involved?

you are probably right, adult skating, where is the fun in that?

Skating isn't confined to children jumping quads, you know.

 

[CanadianSkaterGuy]

OMG Adam will make a mockery of the sacred, austere safe haven that is adult figure skating!!!!

LOL, I'm sure this will be hilarious and provide some much needed levity to the sport, the way Blades of Glory did. There are plenty of parody TV shows that are amazing -- did people complain that Brooklyn-99 makes fun of cops, or Orange Is The New Black makes fun of women's prisons, or Big Bang Theory makes fun of academics, or The Office makes fun of... offices?

And now some folks are actually concerned that Adam's show will make fun of what is arguably the most fabulous, campiest sport ever (especially adult skating where the skaters take themselves less seriously)?! That might be the biggest joke of all.

 

[CanadianSkaterGuy]

Skating isn't confined to children jumping quads, you know.

Can't wait for people to complain that "the jumps on Adam's show exhibit excessive pre-rotation and thus advocates for bad technique ".

 

[CanadianSkaterGuy]

wonder if any of the currents stars is likely to get involved?

you are probably right, adult skating, where is the fun in that?

To echo another person, speak to a couple more adult skaters because in many ways it's actually more fun/less strict than amateur skating. Sure, it's not technically as impressive as young, amateur skaters - but that's not the point of this comedy series. I don't think the show will be striving to depict technical ability, and will probably use skating more as a backdrop. And I'm honestly sick of skating tv/movie tropes where it's a young skater trying to get into some high-level national or Olympic competition.

With adult skating you can get away with a far greater range of humour and you can develop the character's storyline better off the ice. And on the ice there's more leeway for a skater to be awkward, or catty, or silly.

What was the name of that adult skater on Golden Skate who had that web series for a bit?! She was hilarious!!! Were it coming from an amateur skater who just cared about reeling off quads and triple-triples, there would have been no humour in that.

edit: Found it! Chasity. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOFnuHn47Ro / https://www.goldenskate.com/chasitys-corner/

 

[el henry]

I doubt that Adam will mock adult skaters who are merely trying to do their best, unless they are in on the joke. This will not be, in my opinion, oh my god, can you believe that person thinks that's a spiral? Unless the skater him or herself says, I can't believe I botched that spiral. If it is just general mockery, who cares, mocking random skaters is what people on the Internet do, and that's in many cases just boring

In the USA, I don't think that a show about teen, up and coming, skaters would have any general appeal. No one in the US cares enough to watch, oh look, preteen Janey can land five quads. If they cared, they'd be watching competitive skating.

If it is done with a light touch, and with the skaters "in"on it, it could be entertaining.

 

[drivingmissdaisy]

There was a reality show many years ago called the Next Great Skating Star or something, and Kristi and Rudy were both judges on it. It bordered on mean-spirited, with those two laughing at some of the skaters who were trying hard to perform well. Hopefully Adam's show would be nothing like that, where the comedy was at the expense of others.

 

[el henry]

There was a reality show many years ago called the Next Great Skating Star or something, and Kristi and Rudy were both judges on it. It bordered on mean-spirited, with those two laughing at some of the skaters who were trying hard to perform well. Hopefully Adam's show would be nothing like that, where the comedy was at the expense of others.

I agree. I don't remember that show, but I see nothing funny about making fun of folks who are only trying their best, so I hope it is more light hearted.

 

[CanadianSkaterGuy]

I doubt that Adam will mock adult skaters who are merely trying to do their best, unless they are in on the joke. This will not be, in my opinion, oh my god, can you believe that person thinks that's a spiral? Unless the skater him or herself says, I can't believe I botched that spiral. If it is just general mockery, who cares, mocking random skaters is what people on the Internet do, and that's in many cases just boring

In the USA, I don't think that a show about teen, up and coming, skaters would have any general appeal. No one in the US cares enough to watch, oh look, preteen Janey can land five quads. If they cared, they'd be watching competitive skating.

If it is done with a light touch, and with the skaters "in"on it, it could be entertaining.

Blades of Glory was an epic example of the skaters being in on it. Everything from the tribunal panel of Kerrigan/Hammill/Boitano, to this amazing moment with Sasha.

Sasha Cohen - Blades of glory

The film Blades of glory with Sasha Cohen

www.youtube.com

 

[mrrice]

For me, this will all come down to casting. When I saw stories of I Tonya swirling around, I thought it would be a disaster until I saw the cast. I hope Adam chooses wisely when it comes to casting because (IMO) that will make all the difference.

 

[Amei]

In the USA, I don't think that a show about teen, up and coming, skaters would have any general appeal. No one in the US cares enough to watch, oh look, preteen Janey can land five quads. If they cared, they'd be watching competitive skating.

In the US figure skating for a long time has only been popular around the Olympics and really it's only been the ladies discipline. I think if the current crop of top ladies skaters in the competitive skating arena were Americans or at least had 1 American I think the sport would be slightly more interesting in the US.

 

[el henry]

In the US figure skating for a long time has only been popular around the Olympics and really it's only been the ladies discipline. I think if the current crop of top ladies skaters in the competitive skating arena were Americans or at least had 1 American I think the sport would be slightly more interesting in the US.

I would agree, but even at the height of popularity of ladies skating, I really don’t think a seriously themed “Ice Stars in Training” show would have worked here in the US. JMO.

on the other hand, with adult skaters, the more I think about it, could work. Presumably someone with a job and responsibilities and life experience could bring self awareness to the production that a competetive younger skater, just by virtue of age, might not. We could watch shopping for costumes, “Yes that dress is a horrid pink and I’ll look like a Pepto Bismol bottle, but it’s my size and my budget, so let’s go” pulling for the skaters as well as understanding them.

I think I want to be a producer

 

[WednesdayMarch]

on the other hand, with adult skaters, the more I think about it, could work. Presumably someone with a job and responsibilities and life experience could bring self awareness to the production that a competetive younger skater, just by virtue of age, might not. We could watch shopping for costumes, “Yes that dress is a horrid pink and I’ll look like a Pepto Bismol bottle, but it’s my size and my budget, so let’s go” pulling for the skaters as well as understanding them.

I think I want to be a producer

I think I want to write it...!

 

[Mathman]

There was a reality show many years ago called the Next Great Skating Star or something, and Kristi and Rudy were both judges on it. It bordered on mean-spirited, with those two laughing at some of the skaters who were trying hard to perform well. Hopefully Adam's show would be nothing like that, where the comedy was at the expense of others.

Yeah, that was a terrible show. Kristi was tyhe host and the three judges were Rudy Galino, Pasha Grishuk and Elvis Stojko. Rudy and Pasha made fun of the skaters, and Kristi kind of joined in. Elvis was the only one who seemed supposrtive of the contestants' efforts.

However, in common with all these "reality" shows, I think it was pre-scripted. The skaters eliminated in the first two episodes were supposedly a boy-friend and girl-friend from a local rink, who seemed to go along with the gags in good cheer.

As for the adult skating world, I don't see why that couldn't be a fun setting for a comedy. The adult skating community seems to me to be close-knit and always ready for a good time. (I once saw a skater do a triple Axel at the U.S. adult skating championships.)