Trial Comedy From Jeff Astrof & Matt Miller Gets NBC Put Pilot Commitment

NBC is taking The Trail, giving a put pilot commitment to a single-camera comedy from comedy veteran Jeff Astrof and Forever creator Matt Miller. Written/executive produced by the duo, the half-hour, whose title is a scrambled version of Trial, is a documentary-style procedural comedy. It follows the arrest and trial of a beloved poetry professor from a small town in South Carolina, who is accused of brutally murdering his wife, and the young “Northeastern” lawyer hired to defend him.

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NBC logo

The Trail,

said to be a spoof of crime documentaries like the recent The Jinx, comes from Warner Bros. TV where Astrof and Miller are under overall deals. It combines Miller’s procedural background and Astrof’s extensive comedy experience. (In addition to his drama resume, Miller also has created a half-hour comedy, Grown Ups, and was an executive producer on hourlong action dramedy Chuck.)

This is another sale in the hot genre of high-concept/serialized comedies this season. NBC has been particularly aggressive in the arena with two other high-profile buys, DC Comics’ Powerless and the puppet show-themed Bumbleberry Lane. Both, as well as The Trail, are from WBTV.

Friends alum Astrof recently serves as executive producer/showrunner on Warner Horizon’s TBS comedy series Ground Floor. He is repped bt ICM Partners. Miller is with WME.

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