Rob Schneider is going the indie auteur route with his latest sitcom, “Real Rob.”
The comedian has self-financed eight half-hour episodes that will be shopped by Toronto-based Tricon Films and Television to international buyers at next month’s MipTV conference in Cannes. Series revolves around the comedian’s life as an entertainer, father of a toddler and husband of a younger Mexican woman, Patricia Azarcoya, who has an independent career as an television producer.
Schneider and Azarcoya co-wrote the episodes, with Schneider directing and producing. The effort grew out of Schneider’s frustration with his experience at CBS in 2012 with a similarly themed sitcom, “Rob.”
“Rob” was paired on CBS’ schedule with “The Big Bang Theory,” which gave it a good send off but the show ultimately didn’t hold enough of its lead-in to command a renewal. It was also roundly panned by critics.
After “Rob” was axed, Schneider said he got the inspiration to go it alone: “Eleven million viewers is not enough for them, it’s enough for me. I’ll do it myself,” he said. Schneider said he is set to begin production on a second season of “Real Rob” this summer.
Schneider has tapped his bank account and his industry relationships to get “Real Rob” off the ground. Guest stars in the first season’s batch of episodes include George Lopez, David Spade and Norm Macdonald.
Schneider has been mounting standup comedy tours overseas, which should help pique the interest of some buyers. He’s known for his roles in many Adam Sandler pics, and for the “Deuce Bigalow” movies also produced by Sandler’s banner.
“Rob is a true international star and ‘Real Rob!’ will more than meet the expectations of his millions of fans worldwide,” said Tricon’s Jon Rutherford, exec VP of distribution and business development.
