Nellie Andreeva

EXCLUSIVE: After several days of heated bidding among the major broadcast networks that started before the holiday weekend and continued this week, I’ve learned that NBC has nabbed a multi-camera comedy from The New Adventures Of Old Christine creator Kari Lizer with a put pilot commitment. The project, titled Lady Friends, hails from Warner Bros TV and Lizer’s Kari’s Logo Here production banner. It is about two longtime female friends who are living very different lives but couldn’t live without each other. Nicole has everything gong for her — loving parents and in-laws, adoring husband, successful siblings and a trouble-free pregnancy. Her best friend, Jen, has parents who have no faith in her, terrible instincts that led her to a 17-day marriage to a guy who dumped her, and she gained 15 pounds on the cabbage soup diet. And yet, somehow, she is Nicole’s rock. All 4 networks were after the project, with ABC, NBC and Fox engaging in a bidding war after I hear Lizer didn’t feel like going back to CBS following the way the network treated Old Christine, which was moved around and then abruptly canceled after 5 seasons with no proper farewell. The deal for Lady Friends reunites Will & Grace alum Lizer with NBC, which landed another comedy project from her in a bidding war last year. The untitled workplace comedy went to pilot starring Sarah Paulson. In fact, all of Lizer’s scripts to date have been picked up to pilot, Old Christine at CBS, True at the WB and the untitled NBC comedy last year. Lizer, who is under an overall deal at Warner Bros. TV, is with Vision Art.

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