Nellie Andreeva

EXCLUSIVE: In his first regular series role in more than a decade, Seinfeld alum Michael Richards is set to co-star opposite Cheers‘ Kirstie Alley and Rhea Perlman in the TV Land pilot Giant Baby. Also joining the pilot created by Marco Pennette is Gilles Marini as a guest star/potential recurring.

Giant Baby revolves around Madison “Maddie” Banks (Alley), a Broadway star who finds her life turned upside down when Arlo (Eric Petersen), her long-lost son, turns up looking to connect after his adopted mother dies. Richards will play Maddie’s limo driver. Marini will play her chef. Perlman plays Maddie’s long-suffering assistant and best friend. The castings of Richards, Alley and Perlman are part of TV Land’s strategy to bring to its original shows some of the biggest sitcom stars of the past couple of decades. Richards is with Abrams Artists, Marini with SDB Partners.

Richards’ nine-season turn on Seinfeld as the fan favorite eccentric Kramer earned him three Emmys. Following a brief run as the star of the short-lived 2000 NBC series The Michael Richards Show, Richards has stayed away from TV save for a Seinfeld-themed arc on Curb Your Enthusiasm, the HBO comedy series of Seinfeld co-creator Larry David. He’s continued to perform as a standup, with a 2006 set at the Laugh Factory getting him in hot water over an N-word tirade onstage that was caught on tape.

Brothers & Sisters alum Marini was recently promoted to a regular on ABC Family’s Switched At Birth. He also just competed alongside Alley on the All-Stars edition of ABC’s Dancing With The Stars.

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