Mike Schur-Shea Serrano Comedy Among Shows on Amazon’s IMDb TV Development Slate

Todd Spangler
·3 min read
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Amazon’s IMDb TV free, ad-supported streaming service is bulking up its originals lineup — announcing five new series in development, including a comedy from “The Good Place” creator Michael Schur and author Shea Serrano.

The projects are part of Amazon’s first-ever NewFronts presentation to advertisers on Monday.

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“Primo,” from Serrano and Schur, is billed as a coming-of-age story about a Mexican-American teenager balancing cultural norms, college aspirations, societal expectations and the hectic home life of being raised by his single mom and five uncles.

The series is written and executive produced by Serrano, who based the comedy on his upbringing. Schur, who co-created “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” and “Parks and Recreation” after serving as a writer and producer on “The Office,” also serves as executive producer alongside David Miner (“30 Rock,” “Brooklyn 99”). “Primo” is a Fremulon and 3 Arts production in association with Universal TV, a division of Universal Studio Group.

The other projects in development for IMDb TV are:

  • “Blessed and Highly Favored,” billed as an unconventional workplace following Christine Kimbrough, a prodigal daughter who returns to Dallas as a rookie pastor and is tasked with keeping her family’s church alive in the face of rival megachurches, money problems and the presence of her predecessor and toughest critic — her father, Robert. Writer-creators Chris Marcil and Sam Johnson (“What We Do in the Shadows,” “Frasier” and “NewsRadio”) serve as showrunners and executive produce. Chris Godsick (“Veep”), Peri Gilpin (“Frasier,” “Broad City”), 3 Arts, and Industry Entertainment also serve as executive producers.

  • “Greek Candy,” from Sony Pictures Television, is a single-camera comedy series inspired by the 100-year-old chocolate factory in Akron, Ohio, of Melina Kanakaredes (“CSI: New York”) and her family. Co-written by Kanakaredes and Marc Firek, the multigenerational series about a mom, dad, their three teenage daughters, four “very Greek” immigrant grandparents, and one very non-Greek “adopted” son is a celebration of vibrant Greek culture, Midwestern family values, and what it means to live the American dream in 2021. Kanakaredes stars in and serves as executive producer for the series alongside Marc Firek, Josh Berman and Jennifer Robinson in association with Osprey.

  • “The Fed,” which follows the personal and career drama surrounding a group of young finance hopefuls as they begin an elite fellowship with the Federal Reserve, the nation’s most powerful financial institution. These young financial geniuses are destined for greatness — provided they don’t screw it all up with secrets, lies, sex, and politics. Produced by Warner Bros. Television, the drama is executive produced and written by Nkechi Okoro Carroll (“All American”), who worked for the Federal Reserve prior to her TV career. Adesuwa McCalla, who has a first-look deal with Amazon Studios, will also serve as executive producer.

  • “The Pradeeps of Pittsburgh, PA,” from Sony Pictures Television, follows an Indian family and the tumultuous yet humorous events of the two years since they arrived in Pittsburgh. Told as a comedic mystery for the audience to unravel, we discover what pushed them to the brink, leading to their present immigration woes. The comedy series is written by Vijal Patel and inspired by his personal experiences, and directed by Michael Showalter. Patel and Showalter alongside Sara Gilbert, Tom Werner, Mandy Summers and Jordana Mollick serve as executive producers

IMDb TV’s lineup of originals include two recently launched docuseries — “Moment of Truth” and “Top Class: The Life and Times of the Sierra Canyon Trailblazers.” Other series coming to the AVOD service include “Leverage: Redemption”; a spinoff of Amazon Studios’ “Bosch”; the second season of “Alex Rider”; the comedy series “Sprung” from Greg Garcia; and an untitled Judge Judy Sheindlin project.

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