'So You Think' Gets Served

Zap2It.com | June 15, 2006

'American Idol' producer Nigel Lythgoe

Suit claims 'Dance' idea was stolen

LOS ANGELES -- A man who calls himself "The Dance Doctor" and his partners are suing FOX, claiming the network's summer show "So You Think You Can Dance" is a ripoff of their idea.

The plaintiffs claim in their suit, filed Wednesday, that they registered the idea for a dance-competition show -- with the same title as FOX's series -- with the Writers Guild of America three years ago. They're seeking unspecified damages from FOX and producers 19 Entertainment and Dick Clark Productions, along with a management firm to which the group pitched their show.

FOX and "Dance's" producers haven't commented on the suit.

The lawsuit alleges that John Cassese, aka the Dance Doctor, former Universal exec Maria Lamagra and writers Brian Nelson and Mark Wolfe registered a show concept called "So You Think You Can Dance" with the Writers Guild in May 2003. Their show would recruit dancers from across the country and partner them up, where they'd perform different styles of dance in front of a judging panel -- pretty much what the FOX series does now.

The four producers say they pitched the idea to management company Martin Erlichman Associates (also a defendant), which agreed to help try to sell the idea to powerhouse talent agency CAA. After that, the suit claims, they heard nothing from Erlichman Associates.

"So You Think You Can Dance" debuted on FOX last summer and earned solid ratings. Its second season is averaging about 10 million viewers per episode thus far.

Nigel Lythgoe, an executive producer of "American Idol" and a former dancer himself and "Idol" mastermind Simon Fuller are credited as the creators of the show.