According to THR, ABC has won the bidding war for a new single-camera comedy show that will star Matthew Perry and be directed by Thomas Schlamme. Perry came up with the idea and will write the pilot script with Alex Barnow and Marc Firek. All four will also executive produce. The concept revolves around a self-involved manager of a second-rate sports arena who begins to re-evaluate his life on his 40th birthday. The project is currently without a title.
For me it’s Schlamme’s presence here that raises my interest, but also in part because Perry sought him out. Schlamme was the pilot director for Studio 60 and the Sunset Strip (and three other episodes) plus an executive producer on that series, the short-lived but great NBC drama that Matthew Perry starred in during the 2006-07 season. Schlamme was also a major force behind The West Wing and Sports Night. I was never a Friends fan, but loved Studio 60, so having some of the team from that recombine intrigues me enough to keep this on my radar. On the other hand, Barnow and Firek were producers and writers on ‘Til Death, the Fox comedy with Brad Garrett, and that’s seemingly dreadful.
