Courteney Cox’s Fox Comedy Lands Official Pilot Order
Fox has ordered a pilot for Courteney Cox’s comedy series “Charity Case,” Variety has learned.
The “Friends” alum is set to star in the potential series, in addition to serving as an exec producer.
“Charity Case” stars Cox as Hailey, a woman who inherits her late billionaire husband’s charity, but quickly finds that changing the world is far less glamorous than she had imagined.
The single-cam, half hour comedy hails from writer Robert Padnick who will exec produce with Cox and James Griffiths who is attached to direct. 20th Century Fox Television and ABC Studios will produce.
“Charity Case” was put into development at Fox at the start of pilot season in mid-January — way past the typical development cycle. With Cox’s star power, insiders told Variety the project was always said to land a pilot order and was put on the fast track to do so. Should the comedy go to series, it would mark Cox’s next major television return, following her “Friends” comeback vehicle “Cougar Town,” which wrapped after six seasons last year.
Cox is not the only “Friends” alum eyeing a major TV return. Her former costar Matt LeBlanc will also topline a broadcast comedy pilot over CBS. (The network is also home to another “Friend’s” sitcom, Matthew Perry’s “Odd Couple.”) LeBlanc’s pilot “I’m Not Your Friend” landed a hefty series commitment, giving it a very good chance to make it to air during the 2016-17 season.
As for the other “Friends,” all of the six-some are staying plenty busy. David Schwimmer is currently playing Robert Kardashian on FX’s critically acclaimed “People v. O.J. Simpson,” and he will also co-star in AMC’s upcoming series “Feed the Beast” from “Dexter’s” Clyde Phillips, which is set to premiere this May. Lisa Kudrow will appear in upcoming films “The Girl on the Train” and “Neighbors 2,” and sources say she has been courting pilot orders this season. Jennifer Aniston has a slew of movies coming up, including the ensembler “Mother’s Day.”
Most of the “Friends” cast, sans Perry, will reunite — though it’s hardly a reunion — on Feb. 21 for an NBC tribute special to veteran comedy director James Burrows.
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