After launching original series My Boys and 10 Items or Less last year, TBS gave the green light to The Bill Engvall Show, a new domestic comedy starring Blue Collar Comedy Tour mainstay Bill Engvall and Nancy Travis, officials said Monday.
TBS is ordering eight episodes of the series, which will be shot in front of a studio audience and premiere this summer.
Set in a Denver suburb, The Bill Engvall Show stars Engvall as Will Pearson, a family counselor whose own family could maybe use a little dose of counseling. Travis plays his wife, Susan, who is trying to make sure their three children turn out right.
Filling out the rest of the family, Jennifer Lawrence (Devil You Know) plays Will and Susan’s teenage daughter, Lauren, while their sons are played by Graham Patrick Martin (Law & Order: Criminal Intent) as Trent, a sports and video game enthusiast, and Skyler Gisondo (Huff) as Bryan, a musically talented neat freak with a pet snake.
The Bill Engvall Show is written and created by Engvall and Michael Leeson, who also serve as executive producers with J.P. Williams of Blue Collar TV. The series is being produced by TBS with Leeson’s Welladay and Williams’ Parallel Entertainment. The pilot was directed by James Widdoes of Two and a Half Men.
“The critical and commercial success of our first attempts at original scripted comedy on the network was incredibly gratifying,” Michael Wright, senior vice president of original programming for TBS and sister network TNT, said in a prepared statement. “We’re very enthused about breaking new ground for the network with The Bill Engvall Show."
He added, “It’s a multicamera family comedy shot in front of a studio audience, and we are absolutely thrilled with it. Bill is such a funny and engaging guy. He and Nancy have great chemistry. And together with the rest of the wonderful cast, they just make you want to invite their family into your home and have a good laugh with them. We are very much looking forward to introducing this wonderful show to our audience.”
