TV Veterans Turn to Web for ‘Skirtchasers’

Familiar names from some of network TV’s most popular shows, including Amanda Bearse (“Married … With Children”), Meredith Baxter (“Family Ties”), Barry Bostwick (“Spin City,” “The Rocky Horror Picture Show”), and the prolific writing team of Stan Zimmerman and James Berg (“Gilmore Girls,” “Roseanne,” “The Golden Girls”) have teamed up to create “Skirtchasers,” a web series on telloFilms.com.

“This is such a great group of people who’ve worked together or always wanted to work together,” says Bearse, director of “Skirtchasers.” She began directing while starring as Marcy D’Arcy on “Married … With Children” (see accompanying interview), and is also a producer of “Skirtchasers,” along with Zimmerman, show stars Bostwick and Elizabeth Keener, and Christin Baker of telloFilms. 

“The fact that it’s a lesbian lead character [played by the affable Keener], I really like that, just by virtue of normalizing it,” says Bearse. “It’s not really pointed to that much that she’s gay, she’s gay, she’s gay. [She has] problems that everybody faces, no matter what your sexual orientation.”

Originally written as a comedy pilot, “Skirtchasers” is a series of 5-minute webisodes that together play as a half-hour pilot.

It stars Keener (“The L Word,” “My Generation”) as Robyn who, in concert with her novelist father (Bostwick), loves the chase–to the detriment of their “committed” relationships. Baxter portrays Robyn’s mother/Bostwick’s ex-wife. Brandy Howard (“The People’s Couch” and Julie Goldman’s comedy writing partner) makes delightful turn as the sexy therapist.

Lea DeLaria (“Orange is the New Black”) lends her sultry vocals to the ‘60s classic “I’m a Girl Watcher,” the “Skirtchasers” theme song.

“James and Stan’s writing is phenomenal and targets the exact kind of audience tello is all about … not to mention the amazing actors that have been drawn to this material,” says Baker, co-founder and CEO of telloFilms. “We don’t feel that there are enough stories about us. At tello, we create new web content that is intelligent but fun … tasteful, yet sexy.

Tello recently greenlit another web-pilot from Zimmerman & Berg called “Secs & Execs.” Other shows on the tello platform include “Maybelle” from comic Bridget McManus, “Nikki & Nora” and “Kiss Her I’m Famous.”

Watch “Skirtchasers” here.