Sawyer
Definitely Not 40
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http://variety.com/2015/tv/news/kat...-with-michelle-pfeiffer-exclusive-1201464325/
Katie Couric Pitching Morning-News Comedy Series with Michelle Pfeiffer (EXCLUSIVE)
'Murphy Brown' creator Diane English attached as well to write, produce
Andrew Wallenstein
Co-Editor-in-Chief
@awallenstein
Cable channels and streaming services may not be in the morning TV news business, but theyre considering entry in the form of a fictional comedy series set in that world.
Thats the premise of a hot pitch making the rounds this week at HBO, Showtime, AMC, Netflix and Amazon that would star Michelle Pfeiffer as an anchor not unlike the one once played in real life by Katie Couric, the Today veteran who is attached to the project as an executive producer.
The series would be a comedic look behind-the-scenes of a morning news show. Though storylines arent drawn directly from Courics experiences, she is expected to ensure the series strikes realistic notes.
A source familiar with the pitch said both Pfeiffer and Couric are pitching along with the shows creator, Diane English, who is no stranger to fictionalized versions of TV news operations having created the CBS series Murphy Brown, which starred Candice Bergen as a news anchor from 1988-1998.
Also attached as executive producers are Eric and Kim Tannenbaum, who are coming off Two and a Half Men. Though they are under an overall deal at CBS TV Prods., theyve been given permission to produce this series without the studio.
The project would mark the first starring role in a TV series for Pfeiffer, an Oscar-nominated actress who has as impressive a film role resume as there is but hasnt worked on screen much in recent years.
Guymon Casady and Suzan Bymel of Television 360, the TV arm of Management 360 (which reps Pfeiffer), would also be executive producers on the show.
English has also been pretty low profile since Murphy Brown left the air, save for a screenplay credit on the 2008 film The Women. She is attached as writer, producer and showrunner.
While Couric hasnt been a mainstay of morning news since her 15-year run on Today, she is currently serving as global news anchor for Yahoo.
Murphy Brown is hardly the last primetime series inspired by the TV news business. HBO recently completed a three-season run of Aaron Sorkins Newsroom. Lifetime is developing a TV movie based on Top of the Morning, a book about the real-life battles between broadcast morning shows written by CNNs Brian Stelter.
