Nellie Andreeva

EXCLUSIVE: Comedy king Chuck Lorre is expanding his relationship with CBS with a new half-hour project, which is instantly becoming a top prospect for the network’s fall 2013 schedule. The network has given a pilot production order to Mom, a multi-camera comedy from Lorre, who is behind half of CBS’ comedy series: Two And A Half Men, The Big Bang Theory and Mike & Molly. Lorre co-wrote Mom on spec with two members of his Two And A Half Men team, executive producer Eddie Gorodetsky and story editor Gemma Baker. Mom centers on a newly sober single mom who tries to pull her life together in Napa Valley. The project, which was developed internally at Warner Bros TV, marks Lorre’s first project under the blockbuster new four-year deal he inked with the studio in September. It also marks Lorre’s return to comedies with a female lead where he had success in the 1990s with Grace Under Fire and Cybill.

With three successful series on the air, Lorre has had little time for development in the past couple of years. This is his first development since Mike & Molly and the first pilot script he has co-written since The Big Bang Theory. Lorre co-created/executive produces Big Bang and 2.5 Men and executive produces Mike & Molly, running all three series. For Mom, he is teaming with a comedy veteran and long-time collaborator in Gorodetsky and an up-and-comer in Baker, for whom Men is the first writing gig and Mom the first pilot script.

Gorodetsky first worked on Lorre’s ABC comedy Dharma & Greg and has been a key member of his current crew, serving in a dual capacity as executive producer on Men and consulting producer on Big Bang, on both of which he has been since the beginning. (He also did a stint on Mike & Molly). Lorre and Gorodetsky are with ICM Partners; Baker, who joined Men last season, is with CAA.

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