TV

Gerry Dee’s “Mr. D” may be coming to America via CBS

Gerry Dee has starred for four seasons as the less-than-impressive high school social studies teacher, Mr. D, in the CBC sitcom of the same name.

But impressively enough, Dee revealed that he’s sold the American rights to the series to CBS.

“It’s like they did with The Office, they’re going to do a U.S. version of Mr. D,” Dee told the Toronto Sun. “Mike (co-creator Volpe) and I will be executive producers.”

The deal came together Thursday after a mutual friend of Dee and Will Arnett introduced them to each other. Dee and Arnett then pitched Mr. D to CBS Studios together. Dee told the Sun that Rules of Engagement showrunner Tom Hertz will helm the U.S. adaptation of Mr. D.

“I don’t even know where I’m going to be involved creatively – except that I will be involved, because it’s about my life,” Dee said. “I have the same agent as Ricky Gervais down there who did that deal for The Office. I’m not Ricky Gervais, I get that. But at the same time I don’t know of a Canadian sitcom that’s ever done this before.”

Dee was a gym teacher in high school for a decade before he started his stand-up comedy career in 2003, and placed third here in the U.S. on the fifth season of NBC’s Last Comic Standing — one place ahead of Amy Schumer, but behind winner Jon Reep and runner-up Lavell Crawford.

Season five of Mr. D premieres in January in Canada. Dee’s co-stars include comedians Darrin Rose, Mark Little and Mark Forward, plus Jonathan Torrens, Lauren Hammersley, Booth Savage, Bette MacDonald and Wes Williams.

Here’s a look at the fourth-season finale of Mr. D, “Coach of the Year” episode:

Sean L. McCarthy

Editor and publisher since 2007, when he was named New York's Funniest Reporter. Former newspaper reporter at the New York Daily News, Boston Herald and smaller dailies and community papers across America. Loves comedy so much he founded this site.

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