NBC Orders Immigration Comedy Pilot From Kal Penn & The Good Place’s Michael Schur
NBC has placed a “put pilot” order for a new immigration-based comedy from ‘Designated Survivor’ star Kal Penn, with ‘The Good Place’ creator, Michael Schur, producing the US network has announced.
Set in New York, the single-camera comedy centres on a Garrett Shah (played by Penn), a former NYC Councilman who finds his calling when faced with 6 recent immigrants in need of his help and in search of the American Dream.
The show is being written and exec produced by Kal Penn alongside writer-producer Matt Murray (‘The Good Place’, ‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine’, ‘Parks and Rec’), with Michael Schur also exec producing. Universal TV will serve as the studio.
Kal Penn previously starred in the ‘Harold & Kumar’ movies, ‘How I Met Your Mother’, and ‘House’, which he exited, in a major career shift, to join the Obama administration as Associate Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement. He has since returned to acting and will be back as Seth in the 3rd Season of ‘Designated Survivor’, which was saved from cancellation last year by Netflix after being dropped by ABC.
The currently untitled comedy is only a pilot at the moment, so might not make it to series. However, the “put pilot” commission does improve its chances, as that means that NBC would have to hand over a pile of cash to the studio if they don’t air the pilot, either as a special or as part of a series. We’ll let you know if and when we hear more.
