Cannes: Another Jewelry Heist? $2.6M Necklace Missing After … 
‘Hangover III’ With Weak $11M Wed/Thurs Kicks … 
Specialty B.O. Preview: ‘Before Midnight’, … 
2012-2013 Season Network Rankings: CBS Sweeps In Final … 
Full 2012-2013 TV Season Series Rankings 
TOLDJA! Paramount Pocketing $190M From Disney For Marvel … 
‘Good Morning America’ Hits 19-Year Viewership … 
MGM Buys ‘Modern Family’ Producer Ben … 
‘Fashion Police’ Writers Chant On Picket Lines: … 
Universal Makes Seven-Figure Deal For ‘The School For … 
Steven Soderbergh Will Interrupt Retirement To Direct And … 
Cannes: EOne Announces Itself As Player In U.S. … 
Will LIN TV Stations Go Dark On Time Warner Cable? 
RATINGS RAT RACE: ‘Modern Family’, ‘Law … 
Hammond On Cannes: Paramount’s ‘Nebraska’ … 
Hot Trailer: Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s ‘Don … 
Hammond On Cannes: A New Day Comes To The Fest As HBO and … 
Cannes: Fleming Reflects And Finds Talented Trio A Breath … 
Hot Trailer: ‘Man Of Steel’ 
CBS Wins Season & Ties Sweep In Demo; ABC Tops Adults … 
Cannes: Weinstein Co Acquires Keanu-Reese Sci-Fi Pic … 
EXCLUSIVE: Gail Lerner has come aboard NBC’s newly picked up comedy series Animal Practice as executive producer/showrunner. Created by feature writers Brian Gatewood and Alessandro Tanaka, Animal Practice is a single-camera office comedy centered on a “House”-like veterinarian (Justin Kirk) who loves animals but usually hates their owners (especially the new woman who runs the clinic). This marks the first executive producer/showrunner 
gig for Lerner, who is coming off a stint as a co-executive producer on ABC’s Happy Endings this season. On the Universal TV/American Work-produced Animal Practice, she will serve as an executive producer alongside Gatewood, Alex Tanaka, Ravi Nandan, Scot Armstrong and the pilot’s directors Anthony and Joe Russo. Lerner, repped by Vision Art’s Scott Schwartz, previously worked on Will & Grace, Back To You and Worst Week.
Related: ‘Animal Practice’ To Recast Female Lead
TV Editor Nellie Andreeva - tip her here.
Loading ...
Joe Adalian said that this pilot tested through the roof.
I was initially skeptical when I first read about this show but have become less so over time–and this is before I read about the talent involved. I guess my mind isn’t creative enough to think about how this show could be viable long-term, but that’s what others are for!
Whatever the case, it seems like the sort of show that could lead off Thursdays. As I’ve said many times now, NBC needs to be aggressive with scripted programming, particularly with comedies and particularly on Thursday. At the same time, counter programming wouldn’t hurt. There’s a world of difference between “Girls” and “Full House,” and something in the middle, where both kids and parents could watch without being bored, could be just the thing to bring the network back on the night. I had thought “Isabel” might be a good lead-off, paired with “1600 Penn,” but this sow would work, too.
Supposedly, “Friday Night Dinner” is dead, which is a shame, for any number of reasons. But if it’s not, it might make a good show to place at 9:00, followed by “The New Normal.’ Or perhaps 8:00 and 8:30 could be occupied by family-oriented shows and then 9:00 and 9:30 could be occupied by something else, perhaps “Go On” and “Save Me” or “The New Normal.”
Whatever the case, as good as NBC’s current Thursday shows are, the network needs a near or complete reboot on the night.
Gail is a giant talent…they are really lucky to have her
One of the nicest people I’ve ever worked with. Congrats, Gail!
ironically, scott schwartz is not one of the nicest people.
Great for Gail, but… Jesus, is Happy Endings going to have the highest rate of turnover for a returning show?
Who else left Happy Endings?
So happy for Gail. She is a fantastic writer and person. Yay women show runners! Whoop whoop!
She wrote some of HAPPY ENDINGS’ best episodes, so I can only wonder what this means for the show and it’s still-pending future…great for her though!
New star, new showrunner. Why’d they pick this up?
TV buffs out there….Name me one pilot that had to replace it’s show runner and lead before it ever aired that ever became a hit series?
My answer: 0
Show runners are not always on board from a show’s inception. In this case, the creators are not experienced tv series execs – the article even states they are Features writers – so she’s likely on board because of her experience with this part of the industry. If the pilot tested through the roof, THAT is why it got picked up – recasting one character isn’t unheard of, Desperate Housewives and Brothers & Sisters both recast several major roles after being picked up, would you consider them failures?