Former Happy Endings star Damon Wayans Jr. is reuniting with the cult series’ creator David Caspe and former writers Matthew and Daniel Libman for a half-hour bounty hunter action comedy, which has received a script-to-series commitment at NBCU’s streaming platform Peacock.
The project, starring and executive produced by Wayans Jr., falls under the first-look deal at CBS TV Studios for Wayans Jr.’ Two Shakes Entertainment, which has just been extended for another two years. CBS TV Studios is producing the untitled comedy with Universal Television where Caspe is under an overall deal.
Written by the Libman brothers, the action comedy revolves around a struggling married couple who become bounty hunters.
Matthew and Daniel Libman executive produce with Wayans Jr. and Kameron Tarlow of Two Shakes and Caspe via Shark Vs. Bear. Ian Durney will produce for Shark Vs. Bear.
Caspe and Matthew Libman have been childhood friends since elementary school, with Daniel, who is eight years younger than his brother, constantly hanging out with the older guys. Daniel went on to become his brother’s writing partner. The two worked on Adult Swim’s Robot Chicken before Caspe brought them over to ABC’s Happy Endings.
The Libman brothers have worked as writers/producers on the Caspe-created Happy Endings and Marry Me, Showtime’s Black Monday, which Caspe co-created with Jordan Cahan; as well as the upcoming NBC comedy series Kenan, which Caspe joined earlier this year as executive producer/showrunner and the Libmans co-exec produce. Additionally, with the Libman brothers and Cahan, Caspe co-created the YouTube Premium series, Champaign, IL starring Adam Pally, Sam Richardson and Jay Pharaoh. Matthew and Daniel Libman’s additional credits include include The Mick.
Since its launch two years ago, Two Shakes Entertainment has sold a number of high-profile projects under the company’s CBS TV Studios deal. That includes Glamorous, which went to pilot at the CW during the 2018-19 development season and came close to a series order, and The Turners, a half-hour single-camera family doctors comedy, which was set at ABC with penalty this past season. The company has also recently launched a podcast development slate, independent of its CBSTVS deal.
As an actor, Wayans Jr., consistently among the most sought-after comedy actors for pilots over the last decade, recently starred on the CBS series Happy Together. Earlier this month, he reunited with his Happy Endings co-stars and Caspe for a charity online special.
More than other streamers, Peacock has been focused on comedy series both on the original and library acquisition side with shows like the Saved by the Bell and Punky Brewster reboots; Girls5Eva, from Tina Fey and Meredith Scardino; Rutherford Falls, from Mike Schur and Sierra Ornelas; as well as the upcoming launches of The Office and Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
Source: Deadline
