Cameron Crowe’s ‘Roadies’ Picked Up To Series By Showtime

Showtime officially has picked up Cameron Crowe and J.J. Abrams’ pilot Roadies to series for a 2016 premiere. Winnie Holzman and Bryan Burke also executive produce the music-infused, one-hour ensemble comedy, described as a backstage look into the lives of a tight-knit group of rock band “roadies.”

Roadies, which switched to an hourlong format after originally being set up as half-hour, is produced by Bad Robot Productions, Vinyl Films and Dooley & Company Productions, in association with Warner Bros. Television.

The project had been a strong series contender from the pilot greenlight stage, though the process took awhile. The series order came after the pilot, originally ordered in June 2014, recast a lead role, with Carla Gugino replacing Christina Hendricks, and underwent re-shoots.

Created by Crowe, Roadies is an insider’s look at the reckless, romantic, funny and often poignant lives of a committed group of “roadies” who live for music and the de facto family they’ve formed along the way. The series chronicles the rock world through the eyes of music’s unsung heroes and puts the spotlight on the backstage workers who put the show on the road while touring the United States for the successful arena-level group, The Staton-House Band. Kelly Curtis, Pearl Jam’s manager and a regular collaborator with Crowe, is also on board as producer and music supervisor.

“I’ve long wanted to work with J.J. and Winnie, and coming together to tell these stories has been beyond a blast,” said Crowe. The actors are all so passionate about music too, and the whole show has the feeling of stories and music shared between friends. We can’t wait to bring it all to life in 2016.”