Nahnatchka Khan, Sally Bradford McKenna to Develop Comedy Series ‘Laid’ at Peacock

Joe Otterson TV ReporterThe upcoming Showtime comedy series “The Curse” has cast Corbin Bernsen, Barkhad Abdi, and Constance Shulman, Variety has learned exclusively.The show, which was picked up to series in December 2020, explores how an alleged curse disturbs the relationship of a newly married couple as they try to conceive a child while co-starring on their problematic new HGTV show. Nathan Fielder and Benny Safdie co-created the series and will also star alongside Emma Stone.Bernsen is known for his Emmy-nominated performance as Arnie Becker in the NBC legal drama “LA Law” as well as for playing Henry Spencer in the popular USA Network series “Psych.” He will next be seen in a season-long arc in the third season of the Showtime series “City on a Hill.” He has also starred in films like the “Major League” franchise, “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang,” and “Shattered.” He is repped by A3 Artists Agency and Randy James Management.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterApple’s upcoming live-action series about Godzilla and the Titans has added its first five cast members, Variety has learned.Anna Sawai, Ren Watabe, Kiersey Clemons, Joe Tippett and Elisa Lasowski have all joined the untitled series, which hails from Legendary Television.In the show, following the thunderous battle between Godzilla and the Titans that leveled San Francisco and the shocking new reality that monsters are real, one family journeys to uncover its buried secrets and a legacy linking them to the secret organization known as Monarch.Sawai (“Pachinko,” “F9”) will star as Cate, a former schoolteacher and a G-Day survivor. She travels to Japan to settle family affairs but instead uncovers a family secret.

EXCLUSIVE: Apple is rounding out the recurring cast for Platonic, its new comedy series from Nick Stoller, Francesca Delbanco and Sony TV. Alisha Wainwright (Palmer), Guy Branum (BROS), Janet Varney (You’re the Worst), Emily Kimball (Daisy Jones and the Six) and newcomer Vinny Thomas have joined the cast in heavily recurring roles opposite leads Rose Byrne and Seth Rogen.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterMichaela Coel, John Turturro, and Paul Dano are set to star in the “Mr. and Mrs.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterThe “Fallout” TV series adaptation at Amazon has added Kyle MacLachlan, Xelia Mendes-Jones, and Aaron Moten to its cast as series regulars, Variety has learned exclusively.The trio join previously announced cast members Ella Purnell and Walton Goggins in the series version of the popular video game franchise. As with past casting announcements, exact details on who the new additions will be playing are being kept under wraps.Like the video games on which it is based, the “Fallout” series is set in a world where the future envisioned by Americans in the late 1940s explodes upon itself through a nuclear war in 2077.MacLachlan is an iconic actor of the big and small screen, known for his work with David Lynch in projects like “Twin Peaks” (both the original and the Showtime revival), “Dune,” and “Blue Velvet.” On TV, he is also known for playing the mayor of Portland in the comedy series “Portlandia” and recently appeared in the Peacock limited series “Joe vs.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterThe Netflix action-comedy series “Obliterated” from the creators of “Cobra Kai” has found its first two cast members, Variety has learned.Nick Zano and Shelley Henig are set to star in the series, which was picked up at Netflix in May after having originally been ordered to series at TBS.The show tells the story of an elite special forces team who thwarts a deadly threat to Las Vegas. After their celebratory party, filled with booze, drugs and sex, the team discovers that a bomb they deactivated was a fake.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterPoppy Liu has been cast in a guest star role in the upcoming Disney+ series “American Born Chinese,” Variety has learned exclusively.Based on the graphic novel of the same name by Gene Luen Yang, the series follows Jin Wang (Ben Wang), a teenager juggling his high school social life with his immigrant home life. When Jin meets foreign exchange student Wei-Chen (Jim Liu) on the first day of school, their worlds collide as Jin becomes entangled in a battle of Chinese mythological gods.

EXCLUSIVE: Former Boy Meets World star Danielle Fishel and co-executive producer Marc Blutman have teamed to develop middle schooler comedy I’m With Her.

Peacock is developing Laid, a comedy based on the Australian series of the same name, from Young Rock and Fresh Off The Boat creator Nahnatchka Khan, Ghosted co-executive producer Sally Bradford McKenna, Davis Entertainment (The Blacklist) and Universal TV, where Khan and Davis Entertainment are under deals.

HBO Max and A24 are developing a pilot for the Megan Stalter-created comedy “Church Girls,” inspired by the “Hacks” breakout’s life. “Church Girls” is described as “a grounded, half-hour comedy” that centers on Beth Parker (Stalter), a 20-year-old Christian closeted lesbian who struggles with her sexuality and faith in God as she navigates adulthood in suburban Ohio.

Selome Hailu HBO Max and A24 are developing “Church Girls,” a comedy pilot from Megan Stalter.“Church Girls” is a half-hour comedy follows Beth Parker (Stalter), a 20-year-old Christian closeted lesbian as she wrestles with her sexuality and faith in God, while entering adulthood in suburban Ohio. The series is inspired by Stalter’s own experiences.Stalter is best known for playing Kayla, Jimmy’s (Paul W.

Clayton Davis Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official awards predictions for the upcoming Oscars and Emmys ceremonies, curated by Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis; Awards Circuit Column, a weekly analysis dissecting the trends and contenders by television editor Michael Schneider (for Emmys) and Davis (for Oscars); Awards Circuit Podcast, a weekly interview series with talent and an expert roundtable discussion; and Awards Circuit Video analyzes various categories and contenders by Variety's leading awards pundits. Variety's unmatched coverage gives its readership unbeatable exposure in print and online, as well as provide inside reports on all the contenders in this year's awards season races.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter“Killing It” has been renewed for Season 2 at Peacock, Variety has learned.Series star Craig Robinson will return for the second season, with the first season having launched back in April. The first season consisted of 10 episodes.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterDana Delany has joined the cast of “Tulsa King” opposite Sylvester Stallone at Paramount+, Variety has learned exclusively.Stallone leads the series, with other cast members including Andrea Savage, Martin Starr, Max Casella, Domenick Lombardozzi, Vincent Piazza, Jay Will, A.C. Peterson, and Garrett Hedlund.The show follows New York mafia capo Dwight “The General” Manfredi (Stallone), just after he is released from prison after 25 years and unceremoniously exiled by his boss to set up shop in Tulsa, Okla.

EXCLUSIVE: Deadline has a pair of exclusive tracks from composer Carlos Rafael Rivera’s Season 1 soundtrack for HBO Max’s Peabody and multi-Emmy Award-winning comedy series Hacks, which is set for digital release tomorrow via Lakeshore Records.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterEthan Hawke will star in and executive produce a limited series currently in development at Showtime, Variety has confirmed.The series is titled “The Whites” and is based on the novel of the same name by Richard Price. It begins with the idea that every detective is haunted by their White Whale, the perpetrator who got away because the justice system failed. Billy Graves (Hawke), once a rising star in his department and former member of a group of well-respected cops called the “Wild Geese,” walks away from NYPD Homicide and joins the Nightwatch division, where his cases end when he clocks out— but his past comes calling when a seemingly straightforward murder case involving a White Whale unfolds, threatening his career, enduring friendships, and family.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterRob Lowe and John Owen Lowe’s Netflix comedy series “Unstable” has added six new cast members, Variety has learned.Sian Clifford, Rachel Marsh, Emma Ferreira and Aaron Branch have all joined the show as series regulars, while Fred Armisen, Tom Allen and JT Parr will appear in recurring guest star roles.“Unstable” was picked up to series at Netflix in April, with the Lowes having created the series along with Victor Fresco. The show follows an introverted son (John Owen Lowe) who goes to work for his very successful, wildly eccentric father (Rob Lowe) in order to save him and his successful biotech company from disaster.

EXCLUSIVE: CBS has put in development JumpStart, a multi-camera comedy based on Robb Armstrong’s long-running comic strip. Wayne Conley (The Best Man) will pen the TV adaptation, which hails from Aaron Kaplan’s Kapital Entertainment and CBS Studios.

EXCLUSIVE: Will Greenberg (Perfect Harmony) and John Gemberling (Broad City) are set to recur in Season 2 of Apple’s The Afterparty from Oscar winners Chris Miller and Phil Lord.