Montreal: The first 26 half-hours of the Telescene Communications early teen sitcom Student Bodies have been greenlit for a spring startup by u.s. syndicator Twentieth Television.

The series represents a significant breakthrough for the Montreal-based production company and is part of a new programming push for kids’ shows in the u.s. as the fcc three-hour educational program quota comes on line next fall.

Telescene vp Paul Painter says the live-action/animation series is largely cast based on last fall’s pilot, with prepping set for April and production to follow from May 1 to Sept. 15.

Twentieth Television has sold the series to Fox Television Station Group’s 12 owned-and-operated stations, representing 22% of the u.s. market. It’s likely Student Bodies will end up on New World tv stations as well, once the ink dries on Twentieth parent News Corp.’s takeover of New World.

‘Then we’re covered for 42% of the market,’ says Painter. Student Bodies will be broadcast in first-run syndication starting next fall.

The storyline revolves around a group of high school kids who publish an underground newspaper. Each episode features an animated sequence (produced in Montreal by Cine-Group), bringing alive the newspaper cartoonist’s imaginings.

Telescene put up 50% of the us$350,000 per episode budget, as did Twentieth, against Canadian and foreign distribution rights.

‘Fox has been all over us with this,’ says Painter. ‘They had people up here watching us, making comments, you wouldn’t believe what we’ve been through, but at the end of the day they could not believe that we would have a show that was not `Canadian,’ because that is what we promised them.’

Student Bodies was created by Michael Klinghoffer and Judy Spencer with Alan Silberberg. Michael Yudin, Telescene president Robin Spry, Painter and Klinghoffer are the exec producers. John MacDonald is co-exec producer.