Sitcom Envisions ?Hee-Haw? Meets ?Seinfeld?

Bill McFetridge, president of Ozark Film & Video in Springdale, has spent about $525,000 to produce and promote a test pilot for what he calls a “country music sitcom.” The show, “Life of Riley,” would star comedian Joey Riley in a behind-the-scenes look at country music mecca Branson, Mo.

Riley plays himself, and the family-friendly premise features rotating celebrity cameos from The Dixie Chicks to Dwight Yokum. Pilot costars Mickey Gilley and Mel Tillis, who play two fictional showbiz veterans, mentor Riley back stage and on-stage in a made-up Branson music theater. The pilot was shot on-location, where Texas native Riley arrived after performing stints in Texas and Eureka Springs.

Actress Sarah Morton, 21, plays Rainey Tanner, “an enthusiastic and artistic Arkansas beauty” in charge of costume design. Irlene Mandrell is set to play Irene Gates.

Emmy-award winning comedic screenwriter Karyl Miller is the show’s writer. McFetridge was executive producer and director of the pilot. A two-year project funded by a group of local investors —whom McFetridge declined to name — the show apparently sparked interest recently at the National Association of Television Program Executives convention in Las Vegas.

McFetridge said negotiations with a network are under way. A number of foreign companies have expressed interest, but McFetridge is seeking domestic distribution.