Nellie Andreeva

An irreverent multi-generational comedy from Robb and Mark Cullen has received a pilot order at ABC with James Caan in final negotiations to star. The untitled half-hour, also known as She’s Got Balls and Safe At Home, originally landed at the network with a put pilot commitment after a bidding war. Like another ABC multi-generational family comedy, Modern Family, the new single-camera project hails from 20th Century Fox TV. The Cullen brothers comedy has been heating up since last month when it started casting, and a deal with Caan is now in final stages.

The project centers on Terry Gannon, a recently divorced single mother who temporarily moves in with her estranged father (Caan), a beer-swilling former baseball player. She reluctantly starts coaching her son’s underdog Little League team and is drawn back into the world of sports she vowed to leave behind. In addition to writing, the Cullen brothers are executive producing with Aaron Kaplan of Kapital Entertainment. This marks the fourth broadcast comedy pilot for Kaplan, joining ABC’s Pulling, CBS’ Friends With Better Lives and NBC’s The Gates. This would be only the second series regular role for Oscar-nominated Caan following his starring turn on NBC’s Las Vegas. He is recurring on the upcoming second season of Starz’s Magic City. 

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