Showtime elects a ‘Candidate’

Showtime has elected to pick up “American Candidate,” an unscripted series in which 100 people will be recruited to campaign against one another for viewer votes in a bid to emerge as a rival to the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates in 2004.

The series had been planned for FX, but that network pulled out last May because of prohibitive production costs.

Robert Greenblatt, president of entertainment for Showtime, announced that “American Candidate” would air on Showtime this summer, though no specific date for the premiere has been determined. Greenblatt also cited the recent Federal Election Commission’s ruling that the show’s content will not violate federal election laws.

In “American Idol” fashion, this series will attempt to identify one individual with the qualifications and qualities to be president of the United States. The show will debut with 12 contestants from all walks of life. Over the next 10 weeks, they will face-off against each other in a series of challenges. Week-by-week, the original pool of candidates will be winnowed down through audience participation and polling. The final episode will be a showdown between the remaining two “candidates.”

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Greg Braxton