

EXCLUSIVE: In a competitive situation, an untitled single-camera family comedy from producer Will Gluck and Happy Endings staff writer Brian Gallivan has landed at CBS with a put pilot commitment. The project is being produced by Happy Endings’ Sony Pictures TV and Gluck’s studio-based Olive Bridge Entertainment.
Loosely inspired by Gallivan’s life, the big family comedy revolves around an Irish-Catholic, sports-crazed Boston clan and the gay son whose greatest sin is not his sexuality but his desire to spend less time with his family. Gluck will executive produce, with Gallivan and Olive Bridge’s Richie Schwartz co-executive producing. CAA-repped Gallivan grew up in the Boston are where he taught middle school language arts before embarking on a comedy career at Boston’s Improv Asylum, Chicago’s Second City Chicago and now Upright Citizens Brigade.
CBS has been high on single-camera this development season with an off-cycle pilot order to a Rob Greenberg comedy; a pilot production commitment to Nerds In Love, from Jason Winer, Tami Sagher and Kourtney Kang; put pilot commitments to Gallivan/Gluck and Peter Tolan/Jim Gaffigan projects; and premium deals for filmed comedies from Greg Garcia and Darlene Hunt.
The put pilot for the Gallivan/Gluck project at CBS adds to a very strong selling season for UTA-repped Olive Bridge punctuated by the 22-episode commitment at NBC for a comedy starring Michael J. Fox. The company also landed a put pilot commitment at ABC for a multi-camera comedy from Saturday Night Live alumna Casey Wilson and actress/writer June Diane Raphael starring Raphael, and has a soap at NBC with writer Becky Hartman Edwards.
TV Editor Nellie Andreeva - tip her here.


Does anyone know the difference between a put pilot commitment and a pilot production commitment?
Good for Will. That man can’t get enough shows ordered as he’s such a talented gentleman.
Brian is one of the tallest guys I know. Mazel Tov!
Gallivan is one of the funniest people I know in this town, good for him!
I meant to write “way to go, Brian.” I’m so stupid.
Brian is indeed very tall and ridiculously, offensively talented, but he’s also one of the nicest guys I’ve ever worked with in nineteen years of sitting in rooms. Bri, you should celebrate by buying a twenty-sixth solid-color American Apparel hoodie.
Gallivan deserves this! He is hilarious!
More proof of what is wrong with this industry. Comedy is subjective, but I can’t stand anything that Mr. Gluck does.
Says the exec producer of Happy Endings who Brian didn’t go to with this…
I don’t like Happy Endings either. The writing is better than the acting, but there’s nothing worse than people acting like they’re funny, so that doesn’t say much.
Congrats to Brian Helgeland!
I have no bone to pick with Brian and wish him nothing but success, but can we please stop calling everyone who sells something ridiculously talented, insanely talented, offensively talented, etc.
I understand why it seems cute, but it is time to move on and establish some other cliches.
congrats. couldn’t happen to a better/funnier/ guy. He also knows how to load boxes of potato chips onto trucks.
Its when a pilot is so good you can “put” the other pilots down and film this one!
A “put pilot” is one that essentially has an upfront guarantee that it’s going to air, because the network has to pay a financial penalty if it does decide for some reason to pass on the series.
Having had the good fortune to know Brian and the Gallivan Family for 30 years, it is no surprize he is on top of his game. Brian is admired and loved by all that are fortunate to know him. Way to go, and all the best. Can’t wait to see you on the Big Screen!