FX has ordered a pilot of a comedy series starring Billy
Crystal called The Comedians to begin production this summer.
Crystal will play a superstar veteran comedian who is
reluctantly paired with a younger, edgier comedian for a late-night sketch
show. The half-hour, single-camera comedy is produced by Fox Television Studios
and based on a Swedish format of the same name.
The Comedians is from showrunners/writers Larry
Charles (Seinfeld), Matt Nix (Burn Notice) and Ben Wexler (Community).
The three will executive produce with Crystal and Charles will direct the pilot.
"It truly is an honor to be in business with Billy
Crystal and Larry Charles, two of the all-time greats in comedy," said
John Landgraf, president and GM of FX Networks. "We have also wanted for
some time to be in business with Matt Nix, who has done such an amazing job
creating and running Burn Notice. They, along with Ben Wexler, are
an unbeatable team and we're incredibly excited about this project."
FX is preparing to launch new network FXX on
Sept. 2, which will focus on the adults 18-34 demographic and skew toward
comedy. The Comedians joins
previously ordered comedy pilots How and Why, from Academy Award winner
Charlie Kaufman, about a man who can figure out how a nuclear reactor works but
is clueless about life; and the animated Chozen, executive produced by Eastbound
& Down's Danny McBride, which follows a white rapper recently released
from prison looking for redemption.
