For a Disney part-owned network such as ABC, the list of people to recruit for creating a ‘family’ TV show would have Jackass creator/presenter Johnny Knoxville even further down the list than he would normally be for the genre, but it appears as though he has been this week.
Under the terms of a new ‘2-year first-look deal’ with ABC Studios, Knoxville, most recently featured as a voice actor for “Leonardo” in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (but pictured here taking a hit from an exploding inflatable on 2010 release Jackass 3D, the most recent direct release of the popular stunt/prank franchise), will be developing a scripted comedy show for ABC.
Even more surprisingly, the format will be a ‘based on my life experiences’ approach, but perhaps slightly less stressfully for ‘concerned parent groups’, it will be geared towards the actor’s ‘unique southern upbringing’ in childhood.
Whilst not acting on the project, Knoxville will be the narrator of the series, as well as being an executive producer through his Hello Junior! brand.
Following on from his most recent created production in the form of Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa, will Johnny Knoxville’s presumably fine family portrayal be one that is seen as ‘fit to air’ on network television? Alternatively, ‘moral guardians’ of television are still far too strict, and things like this should be shown prime-time on a regular basis: