SyFy to develop former Fox pilot Me & Lee

US cable network SyFy is developing Me & Lee, the Six Million Dollar Man-inspired buddy comedy that was originally a pilot for the Fox network in 2007.

The NBC Universal-owned cable broadcaster struck a deal with producer and distributor Lionsgate to resurrect the series, which wasn’t picked up by the News Corp-owned network.

The show centres around Six Million Dollar Man Lee Majors, who constructs a state of the art laboratory in the basement of his Beverly Hills mansion and transforms Joel Salsberg, a broke, unemployed loser who lives with his parents, and gives him a new lease of life.

Scream’s Jamie Kennedy was originally lined up to play Salsberg and the show had Strangers with Candy’s Paul Dinello attached to direct and Weeds’ Jenji Kohan and Matthew Salsberg attached to write and exec produce.

Often, pilots that aren’t picked up are canned; however, this move could lead the way for cable networks taking advantage of ideas that aren’t suitable for the main networks.