My favorite new comedy of last year from FX, "Testees," was killed by the network. They announced the sadness at the recent TCA's in Pasadena.
"Sunny" stars Kaitlin Olson arrives with Rob McElhenney in California, USA, 27 July 2009. EPA/NINA PROMMER
Now, they promise to deliver new comedy with commitments for two new series, "The League" and "Louie", which join the hit series "It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia" and the recently ordered animated series "Archer "on the FX comedy roster, according to John Landgraf, President and General Manager, FX Networks.
November will see "The League," six episodes, and scheduled to premiere in 13 episodes of "Louie" scheduled to debut in early 2010.
"Archer" is tentatively scheduled to premiere in October. The animated half-hour comedy set at ISIS, an international spy agency, where global crises are merely opportunities for its highly trained employees to confuse, undermine, betray and royally screw each other.
The series features the voices of Jon Benjamin as suave master spy “Sterling Archer,” whose less-than-masculine code name is "Duchess”; Jessica Walter as his domineering mother and boss, “Malory”; Aisha Tyler as his ex-girlfriend, “Agent Lana Kane”; Chris Parnell as ISIS comptroller and Lana’s new love interest, “Cyril Figgis”; and Judy Greer as Malory’s lovesick secretary, “Cheryl/Carol.” Archer was created by Adam Reed & Floyd County Productions.
“All three of our comedy pilots met our highest expectation this year and we are incredibly happy with the execution of The League and Louie,” said Landgraf. “In picking up these two comedies to go with Sunny and Archer, we believe the time is right to establish comedy as a key component of the network’s slate of original programming alongside what is arguably the highest quality line-up of original drama series on cable television.”
The fifth season of Rob McElhenney's sick and wrong, "It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia" premieres on Thursday, Sept. 17 at 10 PM ET/PT. The stars of Sunny are Rob McElhenney, Charlie Day, Glenn Howerton, Kaitlin Olson, and Danny DeVito. The series was created by McElhenney and is executive produced by McElhenney, Day, Howerton, Michael Rotenberg and Nick Frenkel.
All four series are produced by FX Productions.
The premise:
The League:
Set against the backdrop of a Fantasy Football league The League, created by the husband-and-wife team of Jeff Schaffer (Curb Your Enthusiasm, Seinfeld) and Jackie Marcus Schaffer (Disturbia), is a comedy about marriage, male friendship, parenting, suburbia, and growing up… or refusing to grow up.
The cast includes Mark Duplass, Steve Rannazzisi, Nick Kroll, Paul Scheer, Jon Lajoie, and Katie Aselton. Jeff and Jackie Schaffer serve as executive producers. The pilot was directed by Jeff Schaffer.
The series is set in Chicago and will be shot in Los Angeles.
Louie:
"Louie" is comedy filtered through the observational humor of Louis C.K. and his daily life as a successful stand-up comedian and newly single father raising his two daughters in New York.
His recent credits include Parks & Recreation and the Emmy® nominated Showtime comedy special Chewed Up.
Louis C.K. serves as executive producer, writer and director, and Dave Becky and 3 Arts are executive producers.
The series will be shot in New York.
*Beginning next month in a promotional push for the fifth season launch, the Sunny cast is taking their show live with the “Nightman Cometh Tour,” a musical stage/rock opera adaptation of the namesake episode from season four.
The live tour kicks off Sept. 15 at the House of Blues in Boston, followed by New York’s Beacon Theater (Sept. 16), the Tower Theater in Philadelphia (Sept. 17), the Moore Theater in Seattle (Sept. 22), San Francisco’s Nob Hill Masonic Center (Sept. 24), and closing Sept. 25 at The Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles.
All shows are sold out.
Your Talkback on this Story