Steve Carell to Star in HBO Comedy From Ted Lasso Boss Bill Lawrence
Steve Carell is headed to HBO.
The former star of The Office will lead the cast of an untitled single-camera comedy from Ted Lasso co-creator Bill Lawrence and Matt Tarses (Scrubs). HBO has handed out a straight-to-series order of 10 episodes for the series, which had been the focus of a multiple-platform bidding war.
The comedy is set on a college campus and centers on an author’s complicated relationship with his daughter. Lawrence and Tarses, who previously collaborated on Scrubs and who are currently working on the Apple series Bad Monkey, will write the first episode.
“HBO has long been a standard bearer of quality TV. Getting to do a show there with Steve Carell is an immediate career highlight for Matt and me. Nothing can go wrong now,” Lawrence said.
The series hails from Warner Bros. Television, where Lawrence recently renewed his overall deal. Lawrence, Tarses and Carell will exec produce the comedy.
“We’re so excited to be collaborating with the dream team of Steve Carell, Bill Lawrence, and Matt Tarses on what is sure to be a brilliant new series,” said Channing Dungey, chairman of Warner Bros. TV Group. Collectively, they have been at the center of some of the most iconic and successful shows in television history. With thanks to our partners at HBO, we look forward to bringing them together to deliver the next great comedy.”
For HBO, the Carell vehicle will help rebuild the Warner Bros. Discovery-owned cabler’s roster of original comedies following the conclusions of Curb Your Enthusiasm, Veep, Barry and Los Espookys. HBO’s comedy roster currently includes The White Lotus and Bridget Everett’s Somebody Somewhere.
“The combination of Steve Carell and Bill Lawrence promises to be full of great laughs, warmth, and charm. We’re thrilled to be the home for this long overdue collaboration,” said Amy Gravitt, exec vp HBO and Max comedy programming.
For Lawrence, the Carell comedy is his latest to stem from his WBTV pact. He’s also behind Apple’s Vince Vaughn series Bad Monkey, Shrinking, Max’s animated Clone High revival and the Amazon comedy Unsettling. He’s repped by Yorn Levine.
Tarses, for his part, counts The Goldbergs, Scrubs, Norm, Sports Night and the Mad About You revival among his credits. He’s with WME.
Carell recently signed on to star opposite his Date Night colleague Tina Fey in Netflix’s The Four Seasons update. He next reprises his voice role in Despicable Me 4. He’s repped by WME, Media Four Management and JSSK.
