CBS Developing Sitcom About Old Dude’s Tweets

By Amanda Pendolino on November 10th, 2009

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Turns out, publishing your complaints on the Internet isn’t a waste of time after all. According to The Los Angeles Times, CBS is developing a sitcom based on the Twitter feed “Shit My Dad Says” by Justin Halpern. Halpern, who recently moved back home with his dad, has a simple formula for hilarity: he tweets the funny and cynical things that come out of his dad’s mouth. He has over 700,000 followers.

Will & Grace creators David Kohan and Max Mutchnick will executive produce, and the studio for the project is Warner Brothers. Obviously, if the show makes it to the air, the name will have to change. Sadly, Crap My Dad Says doesn’t have the same ring to it. Let’s hope they don’t just title it a first name like Hank, which I hear is a show?

The LA Times points out that the idea of a sarcastic father pestering his kids is nothing new; look at Everybody Loves Raymond, Frasier, Married…with Children or even the new Modern Family. In a sea of overly high concepts, I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing. Execution is key. With the right writers and the right dad, it could be pretty hilarious.

I think what’s most significant about this announcement is that the source material came from a Twitter account. I imagine that people may start focusing their Tweets more, and perhaps start thinking of fictional topics and characters. It also lends some legitimacy to the popular but oft-criticized trend of micro-blogging; maybe it really is a tool that can launch a career.