TORONTO - William Shatner was the unanimous choice to star in a TV pilot based on an irascible dad given to expletive-filled rants, says Justin Halpern, whose Twitter page about his own crusty father spawned the edgy sitcom, a book, and an unlikely cult following.

"We pushed for him," says Halpern, who teamed up with "Will & Grace" creators Max Mutchnick and David Kohan to adapt the profane online sensation that can be conservatively referred to as "Stuff My Dad Says."

"We all sat around and we were like, 'Shatner would be fantastic for this.' And then Max just got on the phone and started making it happen."

Beloved and derided for hammy turns in films, TV shows and commercials, Shatner possesses the rare mix of cutting humour and tender charm needed for the role, said Halpern, who found himself in the odd position of trying to find someone to mimic his own father.

It wasn't easy. According to the author's website, "Shit My Dad Says," the 74-year-old Sam Halpern is a blunt straight-talker given to barbs like: "You look just like Stephen Hawking.... Relax, I meant like a non-paralysed version of him. Feel better?... Fine. Forget I said it."

"We really wanted to make sure that we got the right guy because if you get the wrong guy, it could be a really bad show," Halpern said by phone from his home in San Diego.

"What Mr. Shatner brought to the table was that he can be really funny, he can be intimidating but you also kind of just want to give him a big hug."

While the Twitter page consists of random quotes edited to fit a 140-character limit, the TV version will offer a fleshed-out back story loosely based on the younger Halpern's life.

It centres on a guy in his mid-20s who finds himself over-educated, under-employed and forced to move in with his parents.

Halpern tells a similar tale in his book, "Shit My Dad Says," except he moved in with his parents at age 28 after his girlfriend dumped him.

The book, set for release in Canada on Friday, intersperses classic quotes from his dad with childhood memories. It also traces the surprising success of Halpern's online venture, which he says began last summer as a few posts on Facebook to amuse his friends.

It later moved to Twitter, where it was followed by five buddies. It now boasts 1.3 million followers.

With a built-in audience like that, Halpern admits to feeling some pressure to make sure the sitcom maintains the same edgy spirit that captivated so many people, even if the material is now bound for the more conservative world of network television.

"(CBS) understands that there's a built-in audience and that audience likes the Twitter page. They don't want to take what's on the Twitter page and then give you watered down garbage," Halpern says.

"And that being said, it is a network show and we can't (swear) and you have to figure out ways around that. But I think when we were writing it we sort of come up with the rule that if my dad wouldn't say it in real life then the character wouldn't say it in the show. So we don't say poop and we don't say frick, we just don't use those words and we'll figure out ways that he would say those things with out cursing.... That was kind of what we tried to stay true to and CBS has been great in terms of wanting us to remain sort of edgy and aggressive."

Along with Shatner, the show stars "Cougar Town"'s Ryan Devlin and "MADtv" alums Nicole Sullivan and Will Sasso (originally from Ladner, B.C.). The pilot is directed by TV heavyweight James Burrows.

Halpern says he's now anxiously waiting to learn if CBS will pick up the pilot. The network is expected to reveal its upcoming slate of shows May 19. If the show does get the green light, it's not yet clear how they will get around the expletive in the title.

As for his dad, he's pleased with Shatner's take on him, says Halpern. But don't expect the media-shy senior to ever make a cameo if the pilot gets picked up as a series.

"Oh my God, no," says Halpern. "No, no, no. Not a chance in hell. He will never set foot on that stage."