Amazon Developing ‘The Undesirables’ TV Comedy From ‘Ellie In Wonderland’ Duo, Crab Club & SB Projects

Amazon Studios has put in development The Undesirables, a half-hour comedy series that hails from Ken Cheng and Arvin Chen, who will write and executive produce the project that hails from from Crab Club Inc. and SB Projects.

The deal marks the first scripted series project to stem from Amazon Studios’ first-look deal with SB Projects, Scooter Braun’s management/production company whose recent TV credits include FX Networks’ hit Dave and YouTube’s docuseries Justin Bieber: Seasons.

Created by Cheng and Chen, whose credits together include Imagine Entertainment’s upcoming pic Ellie In Wonderland, The Undesirables is a half-hour comedy set in a near-future Los Angeles that explores the unexpected relationships that form when a group of outcasts are forced to bond under unusual circumstances.

Executive producers also include SB Projects’ Braun, Scott Manson and James Shin and Crab Club’s Jessica Gao and Jimmy O. Yang.

Cheng, who co-launched Crab Club with Gao and Yang, has written on Wilfred, Betas and Sin City Saints and is currently writing and will executive produce HBO’s comedy series House of Chow from Viola Davis and Julius Tennon’s JuVee Productions. He also is penning Easter Sunday, the feature comedy for Amblin Pictures, Rideback and Crab Club that will star comedian Jo Koy.

Chen is best known for his film Au Revoir Taipei, the 2010 romantic comedy that premiered at the Berlin Film Festival and was executive produced by Wim Wenders. He recently co-wrote The Great Banquet for Amblin Partners and Alibaba Pictures, and is in pre-production on his third Taiwanese feature, Mama Boy. He also will direct and executive produce a limited series adaptation of the book The Astonishing Color of After for Apple, Brillstein Creative Partners and Makeready Studio.

Cheng, Chen and Crab Club are repped by Greg Gellman and Morris, Yorn; Chen is additionally repped by CAA.