The Global Village

By Jeffrey Ressner/Los Angeles

China's poor record on human rights hardly merits a laugh track, but later this year DREW CAREY will find himself behind the eight ball behind the Great Wall. In what looks to be an American sitcom first, an episode of the hapless comedian's ABC-TV series will be filmed in Beijing and other Chinese locations over several days beginning late next month. Much of the show will be done overseas, with interiors finished as usual on a Burbank, Calif., sound stage. A scaled-down crew of about 10 people is gearing up for the shoot, with the episode currently scheduled to air during November sweeps. The story line revolves around a practical joke played on Carey that finds him waking up drunk, penniless and without his passport in the communist country, only to find salvation at--where else?--McDonald's.

--By Jeffrey Ressner/Los Angeles