FX has opted not to move forward with Belated, Peter Tolan’s comedy pilot starring Kal Penn, Deadline has confirmed.
17.05.2022 - 20:13 / deadline.com
LA Law not moving at ABC was one of the surprises of this pilot season.
ABC boss Craig Erwich told Deadline that “unfortunately the pilot just did not come together as we had hoped it would”.
The reboot, which was headlined by Blair Underwood, reprising his role as attorney Jonathan Rollins, had a high bar to hit with big expectations. The original series’ Corbin Bernsen also reprised his role as Arnie Becker in the pilot alongside Hari Nef, Toks Olagundoye, Ian Duff, John Harlan Kim and Juliana Harkavey, and Kacey Rohl.
The pilot was written by Marc Guggenheim and Ubah Mohamed and directed by Anthony Hemingway.
It followed the law firm of McKenzie Brackman — now named Becker Rollins — as it reinvented itself as a litigation firm specializing in only the most high-profile, boundary-pushing and incendiary cases.
Underwood, Guggenheim and Mohamed executive produced alongside Hemingway via Anthony Hemingway Productions and Dayna Bochco and Jesse Bochco via Steven Bochco Productions. 20th Television was the studio and is now shopping the project to other outlets.
Another project that was passed was half-hour comedy Josep starring comedian Jo Koy.
The comedy was built around Koy playing a character loosely based on himself, as a recently divorced Filipino American nurse attempting to navigate dating, fatherhood and a very Filipino mother who loves to “help.”
Steve Joe, Randall Park and Michael Golamco were the writers-executive producers. Josep also was exec produced by Melvin Mar, who has been the driver of the project, Kourtney Kang, Jake Kasdan, Hieu Ho, Koy and his manager Joe Meloche. 20th TV was the studio.
The network is, however, still looking to remain in business with Koy. Erwich called him a “incredible comedian”. “We
FX has opted not to move forward with Belated, Peter Tolan’s comedy pilot starring Kal Penn, Deadline has confirmed.
Jamie Lee Curtis has shared a tribute to her late father Tony Curtis on what would have been his 97th birthday. The ‘Halloween’ actress, 63, posted in his memory on her Instagram feed by sharing a photo of the ‘Some Like It Hot’ icon with her ‘Psycho’ actress mother Janet Leigh, who died aged 77 in 2004, along with Jamie and her actress sister Kelly Curtis, 65. Jamie said: “Born this day.
Joe Otterson TV ReporterThe comedy pilot “Belated” from creator Peter Tolan and starring Kal Penn is not moving forward at FX, Variety has learned exclusively from sources.The half-hour series was meant to follow an unexpected intergenerational friendship between Sachin (Penn), a recently out man in his 40s, and Clay (Kaden Kearney), a 17-year-old trans teen, as Sachin and his ex-wife and children attempt to find their new normal. Along with Penn and Kearney, the pilot starred Ellie Taylor, Amir Bageria, and EaeMya ThynGi.FX did not immediately respond to Variety‘s request for comment.Tolan wrote, directed, and executive produced the “Belated” pilot. Nick Alford of Cloudland also executive produced.
Donald Trump was up to his old juvenile ways — which apparently his followers like – when he took the stage at a Wyoming rally to endorse Republican Rep. Liz Cheney’s primary challenger Sunday and simultaneously poked fun at both her and former President George W.
Joe Otterson TV Reporter“That ’90s Show,” the spinoff of “That ’70s Show” at Netflix, is bringing back Tommy Chong as Leo.Chong made the announcement during an interview with The Dark Mark Show, saying “They gave me a call and I did my part…They never gave me any instructions, so I don’t know if I’m supposed to be talking about it or not. I really don’t give a s— to tell you the truth.
Ricky Gervais has some thoughts about how Jenna Bush Hager has been doing on the Today Show since replacing Kathie Lee Gifford in 2019, and he's certainly not afraid to say them!ALSO: HELLO! launches Jubilee T-shirt collection to celebrate Queen Elizabeth in styleThe star stopped by NBC studios recently, making an appearance on 3rd Hour with Hoda and Jenna.The three sparked a hilarious conversation about his cat, Pickle, and when Jenna accidentally called him Pickles, Ricky didn't shy away from saying what he really thought about her.WATCH: Jenna shares emotional message about working on TodayMORE: Jenna Bush Hager's Long Island home features family heirlooms and childhood memories - details"Okay we got to ask about Pickles," the star began by saying, though Hoda Kotb and Ricky were quick to correct her, both saying: "Pickle."Jenna was just as quick to shoot right back to them, responding with: "I call the cat Pickles. You call it Pickle."Pickle's owner was not having it, and he said: "Right.
KJ Apa and Isabel May will NOT be starring as The Wonder Twins after all.
Joe Otterson TV ReporterThe planned “Wonder Twins” live-action movie at HBO Max is no longer going forward, Variety has learned.The news comes just over a month after it was announced that KJ Apa and Isabel May had been cast in the lead roles in the DC film as the titular twins. It also arrives in the wake of the Warner Bros.-Discovery merger and Discovery boss David Zaslav’s pledge to cut approximately $3 billion in costs at the newly merged company.
Peter Andre put on a sexy show as he slicked his hair back for his West End debut in Grease on Tuesday.The 49 year old singer looked every inch the '50s heart throb as he took on the role of Vince Fontaine in the hit show. Pete has had a hectic couple of weeks, and his performance comes after he found himself at the centre of the Wagatha Christie court case, when old comments Rebekah Vardy made about his manhood were brought up by Coleen's barrister. Taking to the stage at London's Dominion Theatre, Pete wore a pair of loose black trousers with a white belt, a white shirt and a leather jacket.The look was finished off with a pair of leopard print creeper shoes.
Kay Mellor has died at the age of 71. The Leeds-born scriptwriter passed away on Sunday her production company announced: “It is with profound sadness that we announce the untimely and sudden passing of our beloved friend, mentor and colleague Kay Mellor on Sunday 15th May 2022.
Ava DuVernay’s Wings of Fire, an animated series adaptation of the family fantasy books which had been in development at Netflix since 2021, is the latest victim of animation cuts at the streamer, sources close to the project confirm to Deadline. We hear several other projects are not moving forward as well.
ABC is bringing actress Hilary Swank and the writer of the 2015 Oscar-winning film “Spotlight” together for a new drama about a journalist working in Alaska.The Thursday series “Alaska” headlines a fall schedule announced Tuesday that also includes an hourlong celebrity version of “Jeopardy!” and leans heavily on returning favorites.Swank will play Eileen Fitzgerald, described as a “recently disgraced” reporter who leaves a high-profile New York life behind to seek personal and professional redemption up north. The creator is Tom McCarthy, who wrote the film about the Boston Globe's investigation of sexual abuse by Catholic priests.Craig Erwich, ABC entertainment president, calls it a brave show for this era.“Telling stories about journalists as heroes is something that's going to get a lot of conversation,” Erwich said in an interview Tuesday.
Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie as well as host Ryan Seacrest are all expected to be back on American Idol next season.
The TV world has paid tribute to Kay Mellor, after the sad news of the screenwriter's death died at age 71. Kay was best known for her Bafta-nominated TV programme, Fat Friends, which stole the hearts of the nation in the early noughties.The drama was set in Kay's hometown, Leeds, and focused on the members of a slimming group. And as well as being a fantastic show in its own right, Fat Friends helped bring another British classic to our screens – Gavin and Stacey.
Michelle Hardwick has lead tributes to famous screenwriter Kay Mellor after her death at the age of 71. Announcing the heartbreaking news of her death, a spokesperson for her TV production company, Rollem Productions, said in a statement: “It is with profound sadness that we announce the untimely and sudden passing of our beloved friend, mentor and colleague Kay Mellor on Sunday 15th May 2022. “We have lost a phenomenal talent and a true luminary.
Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterABC has passed on placing series orders for the “LA Law” sequel and Jo Koy comedy “Josep” after both pilots were reviewed by the network, Variety has learned.The Disney-owned broadcaster is interested in potentially redeveloping the Koy project in the future, but “LA Law” will not be moving forward. On Friday, ABC picked up dramas “Alaska” and “The Rookie” spinoff “The Rookie: Feds” to series, as well as comedy “Not Dead Yet.” Four other drama pilots, “Will Trent,” “The Company You Keep,” the Untitled Kay Oyegun drama and an untitled National Park Service project, are all still in contention and will be up for consideration going into July.Starring returning cast members Blair Underwood and Corbin Bernsen reprising their original roles as Jonathan Rollins and Arnie Becker, the pilot for the new iteration of the Emmy-winning series “LA Law” features familiar characters working alongside new ones on the most hot button issues of the day.
ABC’s L.A. Law sequel has gone the way of the network’s NYPD Blue sequel. The network has passed on the pilot, headlined by Blair Underwood, reprising his role as attorney Jonathan Rollins in addition to executive producing.