EXCLUSIVE: ABC’s multi-camera comedy pilot from Black-ish creator Kenya Barris and Julie Bean (Grown-ish) has been pushed off-cycle. I hear the decision was made for casting reasons.
The project had to make an adjustment very late in the game. Originally co-created and executive produced by Kenya Barris, Bean and 30 Rock alum Alec Baldwin, it landed at ABC in December with a straight-to-series order. The order was then reduced to a pilot about two weeks ago when Baldwin opted not to star.
Baldwin had not been formally attached to act but the comedy had been developed as a potential starring vehicle for him. He was to make a formal decision after reading the finished script by Barris and Bean. After the script was completed following Baldwin’s guidelines, I hear he decided he wanted to go in a different direction.
The producers quickly switched gears, and a couple of offers were made to actors of Baldwin’s caliber for the lead role. I hear after they didn’t pan out, a decision was made to push the pilot to the off-season to have more time to pursue big-name actors.
Barris will now focus his attention to the Bright Futures comedy pilot, which just landed a late pilot order at NBC. He is creator/executive producer on ABC/ABC Studios’ Black-ish on ABC and its spinoff series Grown-ish on Freeform.
Written by Barris and Bean, who serve as showrunners, the untitled ABC half-hour is described as a classic dysfunctional family comedy series about a stuck-in-his-ways, opinionated, fading TV star who moves in with his progressive daughter, her girlfriend and the child they are raising together.
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