The Crazy Ones

[Sawyer]

Deadline:

CBS Eyes David E. Kelley Workplace Comedy Starring Robin Williams
By NELLIE ANDREEVA

Thirty years after the end of Mork & Mindy, Oscar and Emmy winner Robin Williams is plotting a return to series television with a comedy written by Emmy winner David E. Kelley. The untitled single-camera comedy, written by The Practice and Ally McBeal creator, is set in the world of advertising and would star Williams as a brilliant ad executive working alongside his daughter.

As he often does, Kelley wrote the script before taking the project out, and CBS is now in talks to pick it up. 20th Century Fox TV, where Kelley was based for 22 years before moving to Warner Bros. TV in 2008, is producing. Kelley’s frequent collaborator Bill D’Elia will serve as an executive producer with him.

A deal with CBS would bring Kelley back to the network where he created his first show to score a best series Emmy win, drama Picket Fences. It was followed by wins for The Practice and Ally McBeal, which made him the only creator to score a best comedy and drama series Emmys in the same year. The ad agency project also would bring Kelley back to the half-hour genre where he co-created his first series, Doogie Howser, MD. Kelley most recently created legal dramedy Harry’s Law, which ran on NBC for two seasons, and medical drama Monday Mornings, which premieres on TNT next year.

Williams, Oscar winner for Good Will Hunting, recently wrapped filming on Lee Daniels’ The Butler, in which he is appearing as President Dwight D. Eisenhower, and is about to begin production as the title character in Phil Alden Robinson’s The Angriest Man in Brooklyn. Kelley and Williams are with WME.

Comedy on CBS =
David E. Kelley = ehhhh
Weekly Robin Williams =

 

[Sawyer]

TV Guide:

Robin Williams Looking to Return to TV, Teams With David E. Kelley For Comedy
by Michael Schneider

Shazbot! Robin Williams could be making a return to TV, where he famously got his start 30 years ago as the lovable alien from Ork on Mork & Mindy. The actor is in talks to team up with writer David E. Kelley to develop The Crazy Ones, a comedy about an aging but brilliant advertising exec.

CBS is said to be angling for the show, offering a hefty penalty fee to land the project. 20th Century Fox TV is the studio attached. Kelley will write and executive produce, and Bill D'Elia is on board to executive produce as well.

In The Crazy Ones, Williams' character works with his daughter, and together the two of them begin to question their lives. The Crazy Ones would be shot as a single-camera half-hour. CBS is said to be eager to try its hand once again at single-camera comedies, and has been aggressive in looking for such shows.

CBS star Ashton Kutcher actually revealed last year that Williams has often dreamed of making a return to TV. As a matter of fact, it was something Kutcher once heard about Williams that convinced him to take the job on Two and a Half Men. "When I was on That '70s Show, I remember Robin Williams coming by and visiting [co-star] Kurtwood Smith," Kutcher told TV Guide Magazine last year. "After he left I went to Kurtwood and said, 'Wow, Robin Williams.' I asked him what they talked about and he goes, 'You know, it's weird, he said to me that he wishes he could go back to a sitcom again.' And I was like, really? 'Yeah, he says it was the best job he ever had and he feels like he can't do it again.'"

But that was then. Now, in 2012, it's no longer unusual to see major feature stars take series regular roles on TV. Glenn Close, Kevin Bacon, Laurence Fishburne, Dustin Hoffman, Dennis Quaid, Sigourney Weaver and Jessica Lange are just some of the movie stars who have turned to TV in recent years. Williams has made plenty of TV guest appearances over his career, including most recently on FX's Louie. He's landed Emmy nominations for Mork & Mindy and guest spots on Homicide and Law & Order: SVU.

Williams, who won the Oscar for Good Will Hunting, just wrapped filming the Lee Daniels feature The Butler, in which he plays President Dwight D. Eisenhower. He'll next star in the feature The Angriest Man in Brooklyn opposite Peter Dinklage, Mila Kunis, Melissa Leo and James Earl Jones.

As for Kelley, who's currently exec producing the new TNT drama Monday Mornings, the project might become his first show at CBS since The Brotherhood of Poland, NH. Kelley, of course, also executive produced Chicago Hope and Picket Fences at the network. Kelley most recently executive produced NBC's Harry's Law, which was led by another feature star, Kathy Bates, and won Emmys for The Practice and Ally McBeal, among others.

Interesting story from Kutcher.

 

[Shifty]

They're both going for the big pay cheque. This project could be setup at any cable network where it could actually do well since Williams' material is better suited for cable. So it will likely fail at CBS just like **** My Dad Says.

 

[Sawyer]

But unlike **** My Dad Says... this has an actual writer behind it.

If this was Chuck Lorre or whoever it was that inflicted that turn on the world, I'd be tieing the noose right now. With Kelley, at least there's hope it might actually be watchable.

 

[Shifty]

**** had the creators/showrunners of Will & Grace behind it, but they seem better suited for sitcoms in the 90s.

 

[Sawyer]

Well, I was more talking about the originator of the concept. No matter who is writing, if you're basing a series on a ****ing twitter account, the results won't be good.

Not to mention who's starring. William Shatner is a parody of a parody of himself these days. At least Williams is still moderately respectable.

 

[Lily Adler]

Why is it so hard to make good sitcoms now. Anyway, Robin Williams you say? I'm in...

 

[Sawyer]

Why is it so hard to make good sitcoms now. Anyway, Robin Williams you say? I'm in...

Because there's an influx of bad writers making them.

Like this guy.

 

[Sawyer]

Pilot Ordered

 

[Sawyer]

http://www.deadline.com/2013/02/jam...eys-cbs-comedy-pilot-starring-robin-williams/

James Wolk To Co-Star In David E. Kelley’s CBS Comedy Pilot Starring Robin Williams
By NELLIE ANDREEVA

James Wolk is set to co-star opposite Robin Williams in Crazy Ones, CBS‘ single-camera workplace comedy pilot written by David E. Kelley and directed by Jason Winer. The project, from 20th Century Fox TV, is set at the Lewis, Roberts & Roberts Ad Agency and stars Williams as Simon Roberts, the brilliant head of the agency who is working alongside his daughter. Wolk will play Zach Cropper, a confident and charming copywriter at the ad agency. Per the role breakdown: “he is George Clooney — cool, only better looking.” Kelley and Winer executive produce the pilot with Bill D’Elia, Winer, Dean Lorey, John Montgomery and Mark Teitelbaum. This marks Wolk’s return to 20th TV where he played the lead in the studio’s Fox drama series Lone Star. Wolk, repped by WME, Greenlight Management and attorney Amy Nickin, recently co-starred in USA Network’s limited drama series Political Animals.

First series opposite Jon Voight, second series opposite Sigourney Weaver, third series opposite Robin Williams... not a bad record.

Lets see if this one actually lasts.

 

[Sawyer]

http://www.deadline.com/2013/02/sarah-michelle-gellar-to-star-in-cbs-robin-williams-comedy-pilot/

Sarah Michelle Gellar To Star In CBS’ Robin Williams Comedy Pilot
By NELLIE ANDREEVA

Buffy The Vampire Slayer alumna Sarah Michelle Gellar has been tapped as the female lead opposite Robin Williams in David E. Kelley’s CBS comedy pilot Crazy Ones. Written/exec produced by Kelley and directed/exec produced by Jason Winer, Crazy Ones is set in the world of advertising and stars Williams as Simon (Williams), the brilliant head of an ad executive working alongside his daughter Syndley (Gellar), the agency’s creative director. 20th Century TV is producing.

Gellar was recently attached to a 20th TV comedy spec, and I hear that the studio wanted to stay in business with her after that spec didn’t go. This marks the first live-action comedy series gig for Gellar, who starred in the CW drama Ringer last season. She is repped by ICM Partners and Brillstein Entertainment.

SMG as Williams' daughter?! I could love this.

 

[Drizzle]

I wish this was on HBO. I prefer TV-MA Robin Williams.

 

[Sawyer]

****, with it being for CBS, I'm just glad they've allowed it to be single camera/no laughtrack.

 

[Primal Slayer]

Guess SMGs other pilot didnt get picked up. Hope this gets made and is really funny and a huge success.

 

[GREEN =w= DAY]

weekly doses of Robin Williams?! HELL YEAH!!!!

and nice to see that Sarah Michelle Gellar is on this show as well

 

[Sawyer]

http://www.deadline.com/2013/02/hamish-linklater-to-co-star-in-cbs-robin-williams-comedy-pilot/

The New Adventures Of Old Christine alum Hamish Linklater is back at CBS with a co-starring role opposite Robin Williams and Sarah Michelle Gellar in David E. Kelley’s comedy pilot Crazy Ones. Written/exec produced by Kelley and directed/exec produced by Jason Winer, Crazy Ones is set in the world of advertising and stars Williams as Simon (Williams), the brilliant head of an ad agency working alongside his daughter Sydney (Gellar), the agency’s creative director. Linklater, repped by ICM Partners and Framework, plays Andrew, the ad agency’s art director. 20th TV is producing. Linklater recently did arcs on The Good Wife and The Big C.

 

[Sawyer]

Father and Daughter

 

[Sawyer]

Williams, Gellar and... Possible Pilot Guest Star?

 

[Pink Ranger]

Father and Daughter

Come on, Sarah, that is sooo wrong.

 

[Sawyer]

But I do love that artwork of Williams on the wall...

 

[Sawyer]

PICKED UP TO SERIES

 

[Primal Slayer]

Pray this is a success and has a good life span.

 

[Lily Adler]

Even if it's moderately suck-ish it will probably last for about 5 seasons.

 

[Sawyer]

[YT]Qz-8JoUQzE0[/YT]
Williams and Wolk singing their McDonalds song =

 

[Primal Slayer]

Looks good. I laughed.