Nellie Andreeva

Party Down alum Ken Marino and The Daily Show correspondent Aasif Mandvi round out the cast of the NBC comedy pilot The Gates. Based on the British series, The Gates is an adult ensemble comedy set at the front gates of an elementary school drop-off and revolves around the parents, school staff and 15-minute social minefield they navigate at the beginning and end of each school day. The show centers on type-A Helen (Kathleen Rose Perkins), who just moved to town with her husband Mark (Marino) and their 8-year-old daughter for Helen’s big new job. Mark is described as a loveable, sweet, well-meaning, puppy-dog of a guy, a type B, or C, maybe even D to his wife’s type-A personality. Since he owns a construction business, he’s got a more flexible schedule than Helen and is at their daughter’s school more than his wife. Mandvi will play another dad at the school, a super-driven, competitive Yale-educated lawyer who’s one of these comedically intense guys who pushes his kids way too hard. The Gates, written by Cathy Yuspa and Josh Goldsmith and directed by Marc Buckland, received an early pilot green light in December.

Marino, repped by Principato-Young Entertainment and IFA, stars in and co-executive produces Adult Swim’s Childrens Hospital. He also has Web series Burning Love on Yahoo, from Ben Stiller’s Red Hour Prods, and co-stars in the Sundance competition film In A World, written and directed by fellow Childrens Hospital co-star Lake Bell. Mandvi, repped by ICM Partners, will next be seen in Movie 43.

For a full list of broadcast network pilots, including casting information, and for all Deadline pilot season stories, go to our Pilot Panic page.

TV Editor Nellie Andreeva - tip her here.