Ellie Kemper to Topline ABC Comedy Based on BBC’s ‘Motherland’

ABC has formally ordered a comedy pilot based on the BAFTA-winning BBC series Motherland.

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt star Ellie Kemper will topline the pilot, titled Drop-Off, from Lionsgate Television — which owns worldwide rights to Motherland — and ABC Signature. The original’s creators, Sharon Horgan, Holly Walsh and Helen Serafinowicz, are among the executive producers, as is Kemper. Julieanne Smolinski (ABC’s Home Economics) is writing and exec producing the pilot, and Michael Showalter (The Dropout) will direct.

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Drop-Off will follow Julia (Kemper), a working mom for whom nothing is working, so she goes looking for her village. With the help of new friends Calvin and Liz, Julia discovers she just might succeed at balancing work and parenting from time to time.

Motherland has aired three seasons on BBC Two (it streams on AMC+ in the United States) and won the BAFTA Award for best scripted comedy last year.

Kemper recently wrapped filming Netflix’s rom-com Happiness for Beginners. The former Office regular’s recent credits also include Disney+’s Home Sweet Home Alone, The Stand In and voice work on The Simpsons and Central Park.

Writer Smolinski is teaming with Horgan again after working on Starz’s Shining Vale, which Horgan co-created. Smolinski’s credits also include Grace and Frankie and Black Monday.

Smolinski will executive produce Drop-Off with Showalter; Kemper; Horgan, Clelia Mountford, Stacy Greenberg and Kira Carstensen of Merman Television; Lionsgate-based Paul Feig and Dan Magnante of Feigco Entertainment; and Walsh and Serafinowicz.

Kemper is repped by WME, Mosaic and Hansen Jacobson. Showalter is with UTA, Artists First and Goodman Genow.

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