Nellie Andreeva

NBC has handed out a pilot order to Isabel, a single-camera family comedy with a twist from producer Aaron Kaplan. The network bought the project on spec, which was written by Howard Busgang and Tom Nursall. The two developed the comedy with Kaplan and French-Canadian TV producer Jocelyn Deschenes through their Kapital Entertainment and Sphere Media, respectively. Inspired by the French-Canadian series Le Monde De Charlotte, Isabel centers on an otherwise normal angry middle-class family that wrestles with the challenges of everyday life while raising a daughter who has magical qualities. Busgang, Nursall, Kaplan and Deschenes are expected to executive produce. Casting is starting right away, with the pilot slated to shoot in Los Angeles. Canadian-born Busgang and Nursall are Los Angeles-based but have spent the last few years working primarily in Canada as creators/writers/executive producers. This marks the 10th pilot order for 28-month-old Kapital Entertainment. This season alone it is the company’s third, along with the Kirstie Alley-starring comedy The Manzanis at ABC and the untitled Dan Fogelman comedy, also at ABC. That represents half of all off-cycle pilots ordered by the broadcast networks so far this year. With its magical elements, Isabel taps into the fairytale genre that is red-hot at the moment with breakout new series, ABC’s Once Upon A Time and NBC’s Grimm. For NBC, this is the second early pilot order along with the cast-contingent pickup for comedy Save Me. Isabel also marks the second comedy project based on/inspired by a French-Canadian series this season, joining Fox’s version of Les Invincibles. Busgang and Nursall are with Canada’s Characters Talent Agency and Circle Of Confusion.

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