Lauren Graham to Write, Star In NBC Comedy from Ellen DeGeneres

With Parenthood coming to an end this year after six seasons, NBC is doing what they can to remain in the Lauren Graham business.

To this end, they've hired her to not only headline but also co-write its newest comedy, which comes from executive producer Ellen DeGeneres. The show, titled Kate On Later, centers on "the recent changeover in late-night that again failed to produce a female host of a network late-night show." Graham will play Kate, a woman who gets a rare shot at breaking through into the world of late night TV.

The single-camera comedy currently has a script commitment, which means the pressure is on for co-writers Graham and Liz Tuccillo (He’s Just Not That Into You). Their commitment goes beyond just writing, however. Both Graham and Tuccillo are executive producing as well, alongside Very Good Production’s DeGeneres and Jeff Kleeman. No word on when the show is expected to go into production, but this at least shows that recent comedy failures at NBC haven't dissuaded the network from giving comedy a shot.

This is great news since Graham is insanely talented. I've been hoping she'd get back into comedy, since she's been great any time she's gotten the chance to be silly. Whether it's the quirky sort of comedy like Gilmore Girls, or raunchier stuff like Bad Santa. She's gifted, no matter how you slice it. And I'm stoked to see what she does in this sort of 30 Rock-esque showbiz comedy environment.

Via: Deadline

Credit: NBC