NBC is bringing back multi-camera sitcoms with the help of some notable Hollywood veterans. They will be assisted by the likes of Jamie Lee Curtis, Jane Lynch, and Katey Sagal for said projects. Moreover, the network is positioning the projects as part of a larger pilot-season strategy aimed at strengthening its comedy block.
NBC greenlights pilots for two major sitcoms
This pilot season, NBC sitcoms are clearly back in focus. The network has been ordering projects within the classic broadcast pilot window, showing confidence in multi-camera comedies that echo earlier eras of network TV.
Both newly ordered pilots come from creators who previously worked on Will & Grace, reinforcing NBC’s reliance on experienced voices as it looks to strengthen its comedy lineup. The two projects are also believed to be potential companions to Reba McEntire’s current NBC multi-camera series Happy’s Place, further anchoring the network’s commitment to the format (via Deadline).
One of the pilots is Newlyweds, written by Gail Lerner. The sitcom explores a later-in-life romance between a free-spirited woman and a reserved professor who marries impulsively after a scattered courtship. The project carries a cast-contingent order. It is executive-produced by Jamie Lee Curtis alongside Lerner, Eric Tannenbaum, Kim Tannenbaum, Scott Schwartz, and Lionsgate Television.
Newlyweds was previously set up at Netflix with Curtis attached to star. However, for the NBC pilot, she remains an executive producer.
The second pilot, from The New Adventures of Old Christine creator Kari Lizer, stars Katey Sagal and Jane Lynch. The untitled sitcom centers on Ginger and Jill, longtime friends whose opposite personalities have always worked best together. As they reflect on their shared past and uncertain future, the two women confront how deeply intertwined their lives remain. The series is loosely inspired by real-life best friends and therapists Pepper Schwartz and Janet Lever.
Together, Newlyweds and the untitled Lizer–Sagal–Lynch comedy bring NBC’s total pilot orders this season to eight: five dramas and three comedies. All commissioned within the traditional upfronts timeline.
Originally reported by Devanshi Basu on ComingSoon.
