The Notorious B.I.G. to Get TBS Series Loosely Based on His Life and Lyrics, ‘Think Big’
The Notorious B.I.G. is set to be immortalized again, this time in the form of a TBS sitcom. Think Big is a scripted scripted series that will be loosely based on the lyrics of Biggie. The show will follow the misadventures of an inner-city teen "desperately trying to create a better future for his daughter and infant son.” The comedy series will also incorporate lyrics from Biggie’s hit songs.
According to a press release, Mass Appeal will team with TBS to produce the show, and Biggie's mother, Voletta Wallace, will also be involved in producing the series. Biggie's mother was also active in the production of the 2009 biopic, Notorious.
Since his death in 1997, Biggie's legacy and contribution to hip-hop has consistently been celebrated, with the most recent notable tribute coming this past May when Brooklyn, New York proclaimed May 21 as "Christopher 'The Notorious B.I.G.' Wallace Day."
In addition to Think Big, Mass Appeal has it's hands in the production of another hip-hop based series for TBS, Storyville. The series will feature artists personally narrating animated stories, like the one Questlove did about the time he DJ'd for Prince, only to have have the late icon replace him for a Finding Nemo DVD.
“Storyville and Think B.I.G. speak to the types of projects we will cultivate with Mass Appeal moving forward,” said Brett Weitz, executive vice president of original programming for TBS, as reported by Variety. “Mass Appeal is a leader in developing unique stories with diverse voices. There’s no better partner for us to connect with this vibrant, impassioned audience.”
Variety reports that TBS’s new projects are part of a larger deal with Mass Appeal, which will find the company developing original programming for both TBS and TNT's television and digital platforms, as well as presenting concepts on an exclusive, first-look basis.
“The new direction that the good folks at TBS are taking is inspiring and totally akin to our position on popular culture,” said Sacha Jenkins, Mass Appeal partner and chief creative officer. “In essence, Mass Appeal’s strength lies in our ability to articulate the innermost feelings of artists and revolutionaries who are in the throes of their most potent creative moments, in a manner that is true to the creators and the movements they help spawn. I think our marriage will produce programming that will inspire a huge cross-section of people to tune in, interact and, in the case of TBS, laugh their asses off.”
Check out Questlove's Storyville below.