FOX to Redevelop Dan the Weatherman

FOX has decided not to order comedy pilot Dan the Weatherman to series. The series will instead be redeveloped.

Dan the Weatherman is a single-camera workplace comedy. It stars Reno 911's Thomas Lennon, and is created by Steve Dildarian, who created HBO animated comedy The Life & Times of Tim.

The logline for the pilot, from Deadline: "After getting fired from his cushy job as a weatherman at the local TV station, Dan finds it’s not enough to be a charming white man in this world. He reluctantly ends up at the neighboring Spanish TV station." 20th Century FOX produces the project.

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FOX Passes on Our People

FOX has decided not to order comedy pilot Our People to series.

Our People is a single-camera that follows "a man from a bombastic African family who doesn’t have a word in their native language for “privacy” and his fiancée from a Midwestern family try to build a normal life together — though nobody can agree what that “normal” means" (logline from Deadline).

It is based on an Israili series Nevsu: A Young Multi-Cultural Couple. Beth Behrs of 2 Broke Girls is the female lead on the series. It is created by Modern Family writer Vali Chandrasekaran, and executive produced by Empire creator Lee Daniels. 20th Century FOX produces the project.

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FOX Orders Rel to Series

FOX has given a series order to comedy pilot Rel.

Rel is a multi-camera comedy starring and co-created by The Carmichael Show's Lil Rel Howery, whose life is the inspiration for the series. Other co-creators Kevin Barnett and Josh Rabinowitz wrote on The Carmichael Show, and Jerrod Carmichael executive produces the series.

The logline for the series, from Deadline: "Lil Rel, a prideful, self-made success who lives by the code to “always believe in yourself and great things will come,” finds that attitude put to the test when he learns his wife is having an affair with his own barber. He tries to rebuild his life post-divorce as a long-distance single father on the South Side of Chicago who’s on a quest for love, respect and a new barber." 20th Century FOX produces the series.

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FOX Orders Cool Kids to Series

FOX has given a series order to comedy pilot Cool Kids.

Cool Kids is a multi-camera hangout comedy about "three guy friends in a retirement community [who] are the top dogs until they’re blown out of the water by the newest member of the community – a female rebel who’s ready to challenge their place. It’s high school with seventysomethings" (logline from Deadline).

It stars The Carol Burnett Show's Vicki Lawrence, In Living Color's David Alan Grier, frequent TV guest actor Leslie Jordan whose credits include Will & Grace, and frequent TV actor Martin Mull whose credits include Sabrina the Teenage Witch. It is co-created by It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia actor and writer Charlie Day, and its executive producers include It's Always Sunny creator and star Rob McElhenney, and its star and co-developer Glenn Howerton. 20th Century FOX produces the series.

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Does FOX Have the Best Comedy Development?--Part 2 of 6

Trying To Find The Empire Of Comedies

Along with sports comedies, FOX has a second theme that seems to be reoccurring throughout their development slate: music. With Empire being the huge hit it is (at least now), and Lee Daniels

planning a sister series drama in Star, FOX now seems to want to make some comedies based around music—not in a Galavant style, though, don’t confuse music-based comedy with a musical comedy like Galavant. In addition, they will have a couple of hours more of their schedule to fill midseason through the ending of American Idol. So, let’s see what they have:

·      Belles & Whistles is a single-cam that depicts a dad who moves to Nashville to pursue his musical dreams after being fired from his job as an engineer in Silicon Valley, California. So, if you watch Empire and Nashville but wish they were funnier, maybe this is for you? It’s from 20th Century Fox but does not yet have a put pilot commitment.

·      Eat Pray Thug is a single-cam that depicts an Indian-American rapper, Ambudkar, who still lives with his parents in Queens, New York. It’s in a better position than Belles & Whistles, as it has bells and whistles attached to the script (meaning there is a penalty they have to pay if they don’t order a pilot—like my pun?). It’s produced by 20th Century Fox. Looks like a solid attempt to diversify broadcast TV even more.

·      Front Man is another single-cam, and is about a person the opposite of the one in Belles & Whistles. This protagonist is starting to realize that he won’t be a success in music, and instead starts to sing in a local wedding band. Warner Brothers is the major production company behind it, and Elizabeth Banks is directing the pilot. Speaking of the fact that it has a put pilot commitment, so far its chances are greater than the other two listed above.

FOX next season will have Empire on Wednesday (and maybe Star), but Empire won’t be on all season long. Additionally, there’s a hole in the schedule left by American Idol, and maybe picking up one or two of these comedies could be a smart idea. You can definitely tell that they are trying, at the very least, and the storylines seem promising. What do you think? Let me know in the comments below!