Michael J. Fox is set to make a triumphant return to NBC, the network that played a key role in launching his career roughly thirty years ago with Family Ties.
According to The Wrap, NBC aggressively outbid all major network rivals by a considerable sum to land the actor’s services and new sitcom. They sweetened the pot by affording Fox extensive creative control over the series, agreeing to shoot the single-camera show in New York City where Spin City was filmed, and ordering up an unusually large number of episodes without anything other than a pitch to go off of.
At minimum Fox’s new show will be a complete season. NBC’s bullish bid includes a guaranteed 22-episode order, skipping the pilot phase altogether.
The Wrap predicts that NBC will hurry up and film a pilot well ahead of the other studios’ pilots for the 2013-2014 season. If all goes according to plan, Fox’s new sitcom will make its premiere sometime in fall 2013.
Fox’s new half-hour sitcom pitch from creator Sam Laybourne (Arrested Development) is believed to be based around the actor’s life at home. Expect the curiosity surrounding Fox’s return to the small screen after a roughly decade-long absence stemming from the actor’s Parkinson’s disease diagnosis and subsequent battle to surpass that of Charlie Sheen’s return on FX in Anger Management.
NBC desperately needs a ratings and identity boost and Michael J. Fox may materialize into the catalyst they have been looking for. With the deal closed, don’t be surprised if NBC kicks their promotional machine into overdrive and starts releasing teasers or some kind of viral campaign before the pilot is in the can.
Source: The Wrap
