David Jablin

David Jablin is one of the pioneers of original programming for Pay-TV. In 1983-4, he created and produced, "Likely Stories," a series of ground-breaking, one-hour comedy anthology programs. The series featured the directorial debuts of such notables as Rob Reiner, Danny DeVito, Billy Crystal, Christopher Guest, and Harry Shearer. Variety claimed that the series, "ranks with the best of Saturday Night Live (1975) and SCTV (1976)." The Chicago Sun Times raved that the shows were, "truly hilarious...absolutely brilliant." Jablin went on to produce Showtime's first, original film, The Ratings Game (1984), which starred Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman. The critically acclaimed marked DeVito's feature-length directing debut, as well as garnering a WGA Award for Best Original TV Comedy Movie, and an International TV Movie Festival Award for Best Comedy. Jablin signed exclusively with Showtime and over the years produced and directed several unique comedy films and specials that have achieved both critical acclaim and high ratings for the premium service. These include; Public Enemy #2 (1991) -- which was nominated for 4 Cable ACE Awards, including Best Director for David Jablin. The film starring Dave Thomas in a dual lead role, also won a Golden Eagle Award, and was selected by Time Magazine as one of the 10 Best of TV for the year -- the only cable production to make that year's distinguished list. Also for Showtime, Jablin produced the star-studded television adaptation of Larry Gelbart's Broadway satire, "Mastergate" (Mastergate (1992)), featuring a cast including such luminaries as: James Coburn, Buck Henry, Bruno Kirby, David Ogden Stiers, Ed Begley Jr., Dennis Weaver, and Burgess Meredith. Mastergate (1992) was nominated for a Cable ACE Award, a Casting Society of America Award, and was named the Best Television Movie of 1993 by Entertainment Weekly. Next, Jablin executive produced and directed, the timely satire, "That Time of The Month" (a stinging parody of network news magazine shows). It was hailed as a "TV comedy classic" by The Los Angeles Times. The production featured an all-star cast led by Shelley Long, Martin Mull, Robert Hays, Dan Hedaya, Nora Dunn, Julia Duffy, Robert Pastorelli, and Paul Bartel. It was nominated for 3 CableACE awards including, Best Director for Jablin. After this string of satirical successes, Showtime signed Jablin to Executive Produce a series of original National Lampoon movies for the network. The first of these, National Lampoon's Attack of the 5 Ft. 2 Women (1994), drew the network's highest ratings for a made-for-film to that date. It starred Julie Brown in a musical send-up of Tonya Harding and Lorena Bobbitt's débutante debacles. "Attack" was nominated for 2 Cable ACE awards. Debuting next was National Lampoon's Favorite Deadly Sins (1995), a comic-trilogy, inspired by the sins of Lust, Greed and Anger. "Lust" stars Denis Leary, "Greed" stars Joe Mantegna, and "Anger" stars the infamous Andrew Dice Clay. The production was nominated for 2 CableACE awards and won for for "Best Director." The N.Y. Times singled out the "Greed" episode as "a wicked up-to-the-minute satire." Newsweek raved that it "contained more unbridled savagery than anything since Network (1976)!" -- and, TV Guide singled out it's debut in it's "close-up" box hailing it as, "a hilarious farce." Next up, Jablin both produced and directed the irreverent mob-comedy, The Don's Analyst (1997) which stars Kevin Pollak, Robert Loggia, Joseph Bologna, Sherilyn Fenn, and Angie Dickinson. New York Newsday featured the film on it's Sunday TV Guide Cover, and touted its "Pitch perfect Godfather attitude." It's important to note that the film proceeded the similarly themed Analyze This (1999) by over a year. Set up at MGM, and based on an original idea of Jablin's is the satirical comedy, "High Alert." Jablin is producing and master filmmaker, Norman Jewison will direct. Jablin is also partnered with television legend, Don Hewitt (creator of 60minutes) on his new magazine program, "Humor Me." Jablin produces along with Larry Gelbart & Steven Hewitt. Jablin will direct.