Steve Carrell to Produce Unscripted Comedy Show for Fox

Teams of celebrities and comedians will compete in a series of mental and physical challenges — on a huge tilted set

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Steve Carell attends the 2013 Los Angeles Film Festival premiere of the Fox Searchlight Pictures' "The Way, Way Back" in Los Angeles, on June 23, 2013.
Jason Merritt / Getty Images

Steve Carell attends the 2013 Los Angeles Film Festival premiere of the Fox Searchlight Pictures' "The Way, Way Back" in Los Angeles, on June 23, 2013.

Forgive us if we think Fox has gone a bit tipsy with a newly-acquired show. But we’re just talking about a set that tilts at a precarious angle — one of several challenges facing celebrity contestants on a primetime comedy show that will be produced by funnyman Steve Carrell.

Fox has ordered eight episodes of  Slide Show, a spin-off of the international hit Anything Goes, which debuted in France in January.  The basic premise pits two teams of celebrities and comedians in a series of competitions that force the teams to sing, dance and create comedy sketches while overcoming mental and physical obstacles (hence the tilted set that gives the show its title).

Versions of the show airing in several other countries — including France, Australia, Portugal and Denmark — have dominated their respective time slots. Newly localized shows will soon air in China, the Netherlands and Spain.

The Hollywood Reporter quotes Fox entertainment chairman Kevin Reilly saying he expects unscripted television to be “outrageous and audacious.”  Carell — along with production company Shine America — will produce the project for Fox, drawing on his comedic sensibilities to liven up the show and create a list of participants that will draw viewers, however tilted the project proves.