In pretty much the best news ever for the aspiring break dancer who performs on your C train, the MTA has been working with television producers over the past few months to develop a reality show set in and around the New York City subway system. However, the show, commissioned by A&E, has been put on hold as transit officials are blaming “hard financial times.”
Filming had begun last month to generate footage for a fifteen-minute sample episode that could have potentially led to a pilot. An A&E spokesman said that delays were common “in working with municipal agencies” and they were still optimistic about the show’s future.
“It has buzz potential,” said Robert Sharenow, the A&E executive in charge of the project. “The flavor of the New York character is appealing across the country. They are blue-collar heroes, and there’s a level at which that resonates with everybody.”
The show — which was conceived by The Simple Life 2 producer Ross Breitenbach — plans to follow “an ensemble cast of train conductors, station agents and other subway workers as they handle track fires, angry customers, and the grind of running the country’s biggest mass transit system.” What’s next? A reality show that films the line at the post office?
And, Cut! Money Woes Delay a TV Reality Show on Subway Workers [NYT]
