NBC will not move forward with plans to develop a family comedy series around Bill Cosby. The move comes fewer than 24 hours after Netflix indefinitely delayed the release of the embattled comedian’s stand-up special Cosby 77.
NBC announced in January that it was developing a new series starring Cosby as the patriarch of a multi-generational family. The comedy was to be produced by Sony Pictures Television and executive produced by Mike Sikowitz and Mike O’Malley.
No script had been delivered for the project, and it had yet to be greenlit for production.
Cosby has faced a barrage of renewed and new allegations from multiple women of sexual assault in recent weeks. The most recent of Cosby’s accusers is model and former television host Janice Dickinson, who told Entertainment Tonight in an episode that aired Tuesday that the comedian assaulted her more than 30 years ago.
Cosby has denied the allegations through a statement from his lawyer, but refused to answer direct questions about them during an interview that aired Nov. 15 on NPR’s Weekend Edition Saturday.
