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The show does have the luxury of being able to take more of the chances Vardalos wants, not only because of her pull but also because it doesn't have to do a lot of first-season character establishment. "You have the goodwill of the audience, knowing they are familiar with this family," says Wilson, who's executive producer. And the cast chemistry is in place from the film, with Lainie Kazan (the mom), Martin and Vardalos visiting one another's homes and going out to dinner regularly when they're not working. Even Corbett stops by the set to check up on the show. "Last week I was doing a kissing scene on the couch with Steven, and I opened my eyes, and John Corbett is standing there going 'What are you doing?'" laughs Vardalos. Hard as putting out a sitcom is, having three husbands has got to be much worse.
All this could add up to a successful show, although the odds for sitcoms--including those with a built-in audience interest--are never good, even for shows that come from movies. Often those that do hit big--such as M*A*S*H and The Odd Couple--have little to do with the film and have almost no input from the movie's creator. Neil Simon, who didn't even own The Odd Couple's TV rights, had no creative or monetary interest in the series after writing the play and the movie. "After a while it wasn't my work anymore," Simon says. "The writers had to go off in so many different directions that it wasn't always The Odd Couple." His only advice for My Big Fat Greek Life is to "get a lot of Greeks." Larry Gelbart, who ran the TV show M*A*S*H while the movie was still in the theaters, struggled with ratings his first year o* Af the show. "The audience is theirs to lose," Gelbart says. "Fans of the film like being able to see the next chapter. Nia is the heart and soul of it, the pitchfork, touchstone. Now she's just got to artfully dodge all the network people who will tell her why this movie worked."
Even if the show doesn't work, Vardalos will know it was her vision completely. And despite the level of control she has taken, her staff has warmed to her. "I'm living an actor's dream," she says, smiling. "My mom says, 'You're working too hard.' I say, 'Coal mining is hard.' I'm a geek with a cool job."
By revamping her formula, Vardalos is betting it's the "geek" that people will want to see more than the Greek. --Reported by Jeanne McDowell/Los Angeles and Amy Lennard Goehner/New York