Articles

May 9, 2014
 

NIELSENWAR 2014-15: More NBC Comedies

 

NBC has perfected the art of releasing bits of information each day throughout pre-Upfront week, and today’s nuggets introduced a trio of additional new sitcoms.  It appears that at least 2 of these will be given small midseason runs of 6 episodes to see if they catch anyone’s fancy before potentially expanding.

MISSION CONTROL:  One of the more original concepts for a sitcom this development season, this is set at NASA in 1962, with Krysten Ritter as a woman facing off with the men in charge of the space program.  It’s described as having the tone of Anchorman, so it’s no surprise that Will Ferrell and Adam McKay are nonwriting producers; the actual series creator is David Hornsby of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and it’s an in-house Universal Television production.

ONE BIG HAPPY:  No, not an adaptation of the comic strip, but instead a Will & Grace-ish friendship comedy about a lesbian (Elisha Cuthbert, yet another Happy Endings alumnus to star in a series next season) who finds out she’s pregnant just as her straight male best friend (Nick Zano) gets married.  The series is created by Liz Feldman of 2 Broke Girls, and the nonwriting producers include Ellen DeGeneres.  It’s produced by Warners.

BAD JUDGE:  Although unrelated, it’s sort of like Bad Teacher–but, you know, with a judge.  The unconventional jurist is played by Kate Walsh, and the series creator is Chad Kultgen, whose first series this is.  It’s another Will Ferrell/Adam McKay production through Universal TV.

 



About the Author

Mitch Salem
MITCH SALEM has worked on the business side of the entertainment industry for 20 years, as a senior business affairs executive and attorney for such companies as NBC, ABC, USA, Syfy, Bravo, and BermanBraun Productions, and before that, at the NY law firm of Weil, Gotshal & Manges. During all that, he has more or less constantly been going to the movies and watching TV, and writing about both since the 1980s. His film reviews also currently appear on screened.com and the-burg.com. In addition, he is co-writer of an episode of the television series "Felicity."