Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest Are Developing an ABC Pilot Inspired by Their Work Relationship
Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest are teaming up for primetime!
ABC Studios ordered a comedy pilot inspired by their onscreen rapport on the Live with Kelly and Ryan hosts on Thursday, tapping Ripa, 49, and Seacrest, 45, as executive producers for the potential single-camera series.
Titled Work Wife, the project will reportedly be written by The Real O’Neals co-creators Casey Johnson and David Windsor — whose professional partnership also served as the inspiration for the pilot — with Todd Holland set to direct.
According to the official logline, Work Wife “tells the story of a platonic male/female team whose professional success, personal friendship and ability to share deodorant makes their lives work.”
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“Set in the world of real estate, Dani and Scott have taken the leap to start their own team. Now feeling the stress of being the boss, they have to rely on the yin-yang of their dynamic more than ever to keep their professional and personal lives afloat,” a description for the pilot read.
Ripa and Seacrest started hosting their morning show together in 2017 following NFL star Michael Strahan‘s departure.
At the time, Ripa told PEOPLE she chose Seacrest to be her co-host because she already had a good relationship with the American Idol host.
“It had to be somebody we would all want to hang out with — and not just on camera,” she said at the time. “Because we all do hang out together when we’re not on-camera. That’s an important thing.”
“He is just so professional and kind to everyone — and it’s not just ‘on-camera kind,'” she continued. “He doesn’t turn it on and off. He’s kind backstage, and he’s kind first thing in the morning.”
In 2019, Ripa called Seacrest one of her “very best friends” in a sizzle reel for their third season together.
“We have that connection backstage right before the show starts where it’s like, ‘I’ve got a story for you,'” she said in the clip.
“I think it’s great to come on a show that’s already successful — unless you screw it up when you arrive,” Seacrest joked.
“What’s great about this show is that it is very relaxed,” he continued. “It allows us to present a show that is accessible to the audience. We want them to feel like, even if they’ve never met us, they know us.”
