Bebe Neuwirth To Star In Amazon Pilot As Streaming Service Goes For Comedy Names
The newest kid on the original scripted series block, Amazon, is going after heralded comedy veterans for its first crop of pilots. I’ve learned that Emmy winner Bebe Neuwirth (Cheers, Frasier) is set to star in Amazon’s comedy pilot Browsers. Additionally, I hear former Roseanne star John Goodman and Frasier alum David Hyde Pierce had been approached for roles on another Amazon pilot. Amazon’s casting strategy somewhat resembles that of TV Land, which too has been casting its comedy series with alums from iconic 1980s and 1990s sitcoms, starting with breakout hit Hot In Cleveland. But while TV Land is going for casts of predominantly sitcom veterans doing multicamera comedies, Amazon is mixing things up and going after younger audiences, with single-camera shows like Browsers, which features a cast of five 21-year-olds, joined by TV/Broadway star Neuwirth.
With her extensive Broadway experience, Tony winner Neuwirth is a perfect fit for Browsers, a musical comedy set in contemporary Manhattan that follows four young people as they start their first jobs at a news website. ICM Partners-repped Neuwirth will play their boss. The pilot was written by Emmy-winning comedy writer David Javerbaum (The Daily Show) and will be directed by Don Scardino (30 Rock). Amazon Studios and 3 Arts are producing, with Javerbaum and David Miner executive producing.
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