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2 • September 28 - October 4, 2014 TVWeek By Cassie Dresch TV Media P ucker up and smile pretty for the camera! ABC is hashtagging, Instagramming and friending its way through the sitcom scene with a new half-hour laugher that's set to take social media from the computer screen to the TV screen. Catch the series premiere of "Selfie," airing Tuesday, Sept. 30, on ABC. Since the advent of Facebook more than 10 years ago, social networking has been taken to new heights. You can now send out mini-mes- sages of 140 characters or less with Twitter, post heavily filtered photos of your goings-on through Instagram and even send 10-second picture mes- sages on Snapchat that disappear into the abyss when the timer hits zero. It's a culture of oversharing that continues to grow. Americans are spending more time on social media now than ever before. On personal computers and mobile devices, U.S. citizens logged 121.1 billion total minutes in July 2012 compared to the 88 billion minutes spent on so- cial media in July 2011. Even Merriam-Webster is jumping on the tech-centric bandwagon, adding the words "hashtag" and "selfie" to the Colle- giate Dictionary to "reflect the growing influence technology is having on human endeavor, espe- cially social networking." So it makes sense that ABC is tackling this trend, and it's doing it with a heavy hit of humor. "Selfie" takes the rampant narcissism that is sometimes bred from social media and blends it with a little bit of "My Fair Lady" (1964) and "Pygmalion" (1938). While I imagine Audrey Hepburn would be absolutely stunning in any and all selfies, "Doctor Who's" Karen Gillan and "Star Trek's" (2009) John Cho add their own twist to the unrefined pupil and uptight tutor roles. Gillan stars as the self-obsessed Eliza Dooley, a woman highly focused on herself, her "tweeps" and her image. She has more than 263,000 fol- lowers who cling to her every picture and post on social networking sites, and she thrives on the attention and "instafame." After an unfortunate mishap on an airplane, Eliza realizes she needs a bit (read: a ton!) of help to update her image and get over the cringe-worthy embarrassment. Enter Henry Higenbottam. He's a workaholic, marketing self-image guru who despises ev- erything to do with social networking and the people who rely too much on tech connectivity to live. The character, played by Cho, decides to lend his rebranding expertise to Eliza so that she understands there's more to life than just Insta- gram, Candy Crush Saga and Twitter. "'Selfie' holds the most promise out of any half-hour comedy this fall, thanks to some genius casting — John Cho and Karen Gillan are spot on — and of course the writing stylings of 'Suburga- tory's' Emily Kapnek," said "E! Online" TV Scoop reviewer Kristin Dos Santos. "It's a premise that should not work," added fellow TV Scoop writer Tierney Bricker, "yet [it] totally does, thanks to Cho and Gillan's chemistry and the writing, with almost every single joke landing." As Bricker mentioned, it seems like "Selfie" shouldn't work as a TV show, especially since it's a storyline that's been done before both on screen and on stage — and with great success. The 1964 movie musical version of "My Fair Lady" starring Audrey Hepburn ("Breakfast at Tiffany's," 1961) and Rex Harrison ("Doctor Do- little," 1967) took home eight Academy Awards. The 1956 Broadway musical the movie is based on starring Harrison and Julie Andrews ("The Sound of Music," 1965) won six Tony Awards, including Best Musical. Like both Dos Santos and Bricker stated, however, the writing crew behind "Selfie" is sure to give it a positive, humorous spin that will ulti- mately cement its own separate identity. Emily Kapnek ("Suburgatory," "As Told by Ginger") has been writing and producing for television since the late-'90s. Her animated teen comedy "As Told by Ginger" ran for three seasons and netted three Emmy nominations for Outstanding Animated Program (Less than One Hour). The recently canceled "Suburgatory" was widely well received and brought in an average of 5.5 million viewers for its final season on ABC. Without skipping a beat, Kapnek is back with ABC, and it looks like "Selfie" could be yet an- other success for her. Of course, no show is complete without its cast of characters, and along with Cho and Gillan, there's a funny bunch at work. Known for Show- time's "Homeland," David Harewood is stepping into comedy as the intimidating, but loveable, boss of the marketing firm. Allyn Rachel ("Million Dollar Arm," 2014) stars as Bryn, Eliza's nerdy neighbor who runs the building book club with Wren (Colleen Smith, "No, You Shut Up!") and Eyelet (Amanda Jane Cooper, "Smart People," 2008). Da'Vine Joy Randolph ("The Angriest Man in Brooklyn," 2014) plays the sassy secretary at the office, and she leaves a lasting impression for being on screen so little. ABC is tackling a new comedy project this fall, and "Selfie" sure looks like it could be a big hit. With the indelible charm and chemistry between Karen Gillan and John Cho, this modern take on "My Fair Lady" looks to carve out its own place in comedy and become "Instafamous." Catch the season premiere of "Selfie," airing Tuesday, Sept. 30, on ABC. Cover Story Clockwise from left: Allyn Rachel, Colleen Smith and Amanda Jane Cooper as seen in "Selfie" The 'instafame' game: ABC's 'Selfie' puts a comedic spin on social media D - Danville V - Veedersburg H - Hoopeston O - Oakwood V - Veedersburg Ca - Cayuga Co - Covington W - Westville Communities listed Med Plus 1/16 pg

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