NBC Buys Family Dance School Drama From Hazy Mills, Thomas Ian Griffith & Mary Page Keller

Grimm executive producers Sean Hayes and Todd Milliner of Hazy Mills are reuniting with the supernatural drama’s supervising producer Thomas Ian Griffith for another hourlong project at NBC. The network has put in development The Dunnings, a family dance-school drama from the husband-and-wife duo of Thomas Ian Griffith and Mary Page Keller, Universal Television and Hayes and Milliner’s studio-based Hazy Mills.

Written by Griffith and Keller, The Dunnings revolves around a prominent Connecticut family. When the matriarch passes away, her youngest daughter returns home to take over the dance school that her mother ran for 40 years and, in doing so, embarks on a journey to redefine the American dream.

Hayes and Milliner executive produce, Griffith and Keller co-executive produce. Grimm was the first TV series writing job for Griffith, who began his career as an actor on the Broadway stage and in regional theatre before moving to Los Angeles where he wrote, produced and acted in feature films. His wife and writing partner, actress Keller — whose credits include recurring roles on Pretty Little Liars, Chasing Life and Bosch — made her writing debut with an episode of Grimm, which she co-wrote with Griffith.

The Dunnings is Hazy Mills’ first drama project this development cycle. The company has comedies Step Dave with writer Emily Cutler and Like Family with Suzanne Martin at NBC, and comedy Emma’s at Her Dad’s with Claudia Lonow at Fox.

Griffith, who also co-created the John Carpenter graphic novel series Asylum, currently printing its 15th edition, and Keller and Mary are repped by APA, Pathfinder and Sloane Offer. Hazy Mills is with WME.