Jennifer Garner to make TV return in HBO comedy 'Camping,' from 'Girls' EPs Lena Dunham and Jenni Konner
Jennifer Garner will make her return to live-action television with a leading role in HBO’s forthcoming comedy Camping, TVLine has learned.
Garner’s last regular TV gig was Alias, J.J. Abrams’ grad-student-turned-spy drama, in which she starred for five seasons. Since Alias ended in 2006, Garner has focused on her film career, taking roles in movies like Dallas Buyers Club, Butter, The Odd Life of Timothy Green and Miracles From Heaven. She also voices Mama Llama in Netflix’s animated Llama Llama.
In Camping, Garner will play Kathryn Siddell-Bauers, described as “a controlling L.A. mom who is far less cheerful than her Lululemons imply.” The series chronicles a camping trip to celebrate the 45th birthday of Walt, Kathryn’s husband. “But when the camping trip gathers Kathryn’s meek sister, holier than thou ex-best friend and a free-spirited tagalong in one place,” the official logline reads, “it becomes a weekend of tested marriages and woman-on-woman crime that won’t soon be forgotten. Plus, bears.”
RELATED Why Jennifer Garner Needs to Come Back to Series TV — ASAP
The adaptation, based on Sky Atlantic’s series of the same name, will be written and executive-produced by Girls bosses Lena Dunham and Jenni Konner, who also will serve as showrunners; Julia Davis — who created the original Camping — Christine Langan and Ilene S. Landress also will executive-produce.
The eight-episode limited series is slated to begin production in Los Angeles this spring.
In a statement, Konner and Dunham said, “We love Jennifer’s restraint and comedic timing, and we can’t wait for the warmth and intelligence she’ll bring to our central character, Kathryn. It’s truly a dream to have her first on our call sheet. Now we just have to write her some stunts.”
TVLine doesn’t want to say that we dreamed this into being… but we kinda dreamed this into being. On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of Alias‘ finale, we wrote that Garner should come back to TV in a cable project with a minimal number of episodes, and that “while we certainly wouldn’t say no to to another highly physical role for the uber-athletic actress, may we humbly suggest starting fresh with a big part on a new series that shares no DNA with the one that jumpstarted her career? And that maybe lets her smile a little more often on camera?” BOOM.
Are you looking forward to seeing Garner on your TV screen once more? Hit the comments with your thoughts!
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