From just about the minute people heard that NBC was developing an adult musical series about Broadway show-business, ‘Glee‘ comparisons and contrasts flew left and right.  Now that ‘Smash‘ has come and establish itself as a separate entity, will ‘Fame‘ face the same stigma upon returning to TV?  Will ‘Fame’ face greater scrutiny now that ‘Glee’ is headed to New York, or will people remember which came first?  Who’s behind the new series?

Thanks to Deadline, we’ve learned that MGM Television has teamed with ‘American Idol‘ and ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ executive producer Nigel Lythgoe to return ‘Fame’ to the small screen as a scripted series.  ‘Fame’ existed as a TV show once prior in 1982, following the original 1980 film, which was itself remade as a 2003 reality competition, and then a musical film in 2009.

Seen as a re-imagining of the original film and TV series, the new TV series will be set against the backdrop of modern day’s “unprecedented access to the world of celebrity,” and focus on the struggle, heartache and pain inherent in the search for…well, fame.  It isn’t known if ‘Fame’ will be a musical TV series in the vein of ‘Glee’ or ‘Smash,’ or keep singing and dancing in the context of the school setting.

“This is a great opportunity for MGM to partner with world-class producer Nigel Lythgoe, whose unmatched experience with telling the true stories of talented people striving for success will set ‘Fame’ apart, ” says MGM President of Television and Digital Roma Khanna.  Lythgoe will serve as executive producer on the project, along with his production company president Kary McHoul, Segars Media’s Charles Segars and Chad Gutstein.

What say you?  Do you think there’s room for ‘Fame’ in the current TV landscape?  Will the new series hit it big, or end up just another failed remake?  Feel free do dance out your thoughts interpretively, or hit the comments.

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