FX & 20th TV Land Lisa McGee's 'Wildwood' Comedy
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- FX and 20th Television won a competitive situation to land "Wildwood," Lisa McGee's first project set outside the UK, and have put the comedy into development.
- Wildwood is set in the summer of 2000 and follows a group of Irish college girls who descend on Wildwood, New Jersey "with no money, no visas, no plan, no clue," per the show's logline.
- The show is described as a spiritual successor to Derry Girls, which ran three seasons and marked Channel 4's biggest comedy launch since 2004, winning Best Comedy at the BAFTAs, International Emmys and Irish Film & Television Awards.
- Lisa McGee is set as creator and executive producer, with 20th Television EVP of Development Carolyn Cassidy credited with pursuing the Irish writer-playwright and securing the project.
- McGee's most recent series, "How To Get To Heaven From Belfast," launched on Netflix in February; she is also behind BBC's "Skint," Channel 5's "The Deceived," and Channel 4's "London Rush."
- McGee is repped by CAA and United Agents and has additional credits including episodes of BBC1/Starz's "The White Queen" and the 2012 film adaptation of her play "Jump!."
Why it matters: For FX, landing a proven BAFTA-winning international writer in a competitive bidding war gives the network a high-concept comedy with built-in brand recognition via Derry Girls. For McGee, Wildwood represents her first move into the US market, pairing her signature Irish-girl-group template with a Jersey Shore setting — a notable creative departure from her UK and Irish work.
