Fox Entertainment has sealed a deal with “Life in Pieces” creator Justin Adler to create and develop new comedy series for the network. Under the latest of Fox’s recent string of what it calls “broadcast direct” deals, Adler (whose credits also include “Maggie”) will create series that will be owned by Fox Entertainment and produced by its in-house Fox Entertainment Studios shingle.
The Adler deal was announced by Michael Thorn, Fox Entertainment’s president of scripted programming. Thorn previously helped develop “Life in Pieces” (which aired on CBS for four seasons between 2015 and 2019) with Adler, back when Thorn was exec vice president of development at 20th Century Fox TV. Also at 20th at the time was Cheryl Dolins, who’s now Fox Entertainment senior VP of comedy programming and development and who also worked closely with Adler while at the studio.
“With his sharp sense of wit, parody and humor, Justin ranks among today’s great, prolific comedic voices,” Thorn said in a statement. “These qualities spectacularly define my past collaborations producing with Justin, including his beloved cross-generational comedy‘Life in Pieces,’ so teaming up with him again is more than just rewarding personally, it’s critical to moving the Fox comedy brand forward.”
Adler previously was in an overall deal at 20th Television; besides creating and executive producing “Life in Pieces,” he co-created the comedy “Maggie” with Maggie Mull.
“It feels like a homecoming to get to work with Michael and Cheryl again and I’m so appreciative,” said Adler. “They’ve always been such incredibly supportive collaborators and I couldn’t be more excited about this unique opportunity to create directly for the network.”
The Adler deal comes following this week’s announcment that producer, director, actor and recording artist Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson (“Power”) and his company had signed a deal to develop projects at Fox. Others sealing “broadcast direct” deals with Fox include Rodney Rothman (“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse”) and Adam Rosenberg for animated programming; and deals last year with producers Carol Mendelsohn (“CSI”) and Julie Weitz, as well as writer/producer/director McG (“Supernatural”). “Community” creator Dan Harmon also created the upcoming animated series “Krapopolis” out of a “broadcast direct” deal with Fox.
“Broadcast direct” is a phrase coined by Fox that allows producers to develop projects for the network from script to series, while also allowing talent to work with other platforms as well.
Adler is repped by UTA as well as Robby Koch and Ken Richman at Hansen Jacobson.
