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Fox Picks Up Andy Samberg & Chris Meloni Comedies, ‘Us & Them’ And ‘Enlisted’, Almost Doubles New Series Volume

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Wednesday May 8, 2013 @ 7:15pm PDTTags: Andy Samberg, Big Deals TV, Chris Meloni, Fox, TV Pilots
Nellie Andreeva

Having just ordered its new drama series for next season, Fox also has made its comedy pickups, ordering four new shows in addition to the previously ordered Dads, executive produced by Seth MacFarlane. They are the Andy Samberg starrer, now titled Brooklyn Nine-Nine; Surviving Jack starring Chris Meloni; Enlisted starring Geoff Stults; and Us And Them starring Jason Ritter and Alexis Bledel. All have received 13-episode pickups. Additionally, the order for the Seth Green-Giovanni Ribisi starrer Dads, originally for 6 episodes, has been upped to 13. The new comedies join newly picked-up dramas Rake, Gang Related, Sleepy Hollow, and Almost Human. That is five new comedy series and four dramas, almost double the number of new scripted series Fox picked up last year (three comedies, two dramas). With American Idol on its last legs, the network clearly is stocking up on the scripted side and expanding its push in live-action comedy. Studio-wise, four of the new shows came from Fox sibling 20th TV, two each from Warner Bros and Sony and one from Universal TV.

Fox’s four new half-hour series choices came out of the five half-hour pilots that had been in contention from the get-go. Over the past week or so, the fifth, To My Future Assistant, began to fade as I hear it came in below exceptions. Meanwhile, Surviving Jack (formerly I Suck At Girls) has been steadily rising, buoyed by what I hear were stellar testing results for Meloni. The former Law & Order: SVU star originally turned down the project, and it took a lot of effort on the part of the producers to get him to do it. It was all worth it as the actor helped secure the pilot a series pickup. Also playing in the pilot’s favor is the fact that Surviving Jack comes from veteran comedy showrunner Bill Lawrence. It is shaping up to be a strong pickup season for Lawrence, whose NBC comedy pilot Undateable also looks very good to get a series order, along with Second Floor on TBS. Fun fact: Fox is reuniting Cougar Town co-creators Lawrence and Kevin Biegel, who is behind another newly picked-up comedy series, Enlisted.

With the pickups, Fox has a total of eight new and returning comedy series on tap for next season. Four of them are guy half-hours — cop show Brooklyn Nine-Nine (formerly Schur/Goor), Army comedy Enlisted, Dads and Surviving Jack — and female/family series New Girl, The Mindy Project, Raising Hope and Us And Them. While Us And Them, about a couple navigating their family and friends, would fit seamlessly into Fox’s existing Tuesday comedy block, it is unclear what the network would do with its guy shows, which could stand on their own as a block or get scheduled around Fox’s male-skewing Sunday animated comedies. Fox’s comedy pilots that didn’t make the cut are Assistant, Two Wrongs and The Gabriels. Overall, Fox didn’t throw curve balls in its series orders this season, largely sticking with pilots that had emerged as frontrunners. Here are descriptions of Fox’s new comedy series along with first-glimpse photos:

Related: PRIMETIME PILOT PANIC: Rumor Mill

Related: Fox Picks Up Dramas ‘Rake’, ‘Gang Related’, ‘Sleepy Hollow’ And ‘Almost Human’
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Independent Spirit Awards Getting Ready For Their Close-Up

By PETE HAMMOND | Thursday February 21, 2013 @ 3:26pm PSTTags: Andy Samberg, Beasts Of The Southern Wild, Diana Zahn-Storey, FIlm Independent SPirit Awards, Indie Spirits, Silver Linings Playbook
Pete Hammond

The 28th Annual Film Independent Spirit Awards, being held Saturday afternoon as usual under a huge tent at Santa Monica beach, is always one of the most loose and laid-back award shows of the season. Coming as it does a day … Read More »

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Andy Samberg On Hosting Spirit Awards

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Thursday February 14, 2013 @ 12:24pm PSTTags: Andy Samberg, Film Independent, Spirit Awards

Andy Samberg made this video about preparing to host the Film Independent Spirit Awards on February 23rd. Hope he’ll be funnier than this lame bit:

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Andre Braugher To Co-Star In Fox’s Mike Schur/Dan Goor Comedy Pilot

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Monday February 11, 2013 @ 5:15pm PSTTags: Andre Braugher, Andy Samberg, Fox
Nellie Andreeva

Andre Braugher has been set to co-star opposite Andy Samberg in Fox’s Schur/Goor comedy pilot, from Universal TV and 3 Arts. Phil Lord and Chris Miller are directing the single-camera ensemble project, which revolves around a diverse … Read More »

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Terry Crews To Star In Fox’s Andy Samberg Comedy Pilot Helmed By Phil Lord & Chris Miller

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Wednesday January 23, 2013 @ 12:45pm PSTTags: Andy Samberg, Fox, Terry Crews
Nellie Andreeva

Terry CrewsTerry Crews is set to co-star opposite Andy Samberg in Fox’s untitled Mike Schur/Dan Goor comedy pilot. Phil Lord and Chris Miller (21 Jump Street) have come on board to direct the single-camera project, which revolves around a diverse group of detectives in a precinct at the very edge of New York City. Crews, repped by WME and 3 Arts, will play Terry Jeffords, the Sergeant who runs the detective squad. Samberg plays the lead detective. Universal TV produces. Lord and Miller are with UTA. Read More »

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Mike Schur/Dan Goor Cop Comedy Starring Andy Samberg Gets Pilot Order At Fox

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Friday January 11, 2013 @ 4:15pm PSTTags: Andy Samberg, Dan Goor, Fox
Nellie Andreeva

Fox has handed its first pilot order this season to a cop comedy starring Saturday Night Live alum Andy Samberg. Written by the Parks And Recreation duo of co-creator/exec producer/showrunner Mike Schur and exec … Read More »

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Andy Samberg To Host Spirit Awards

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Tuesday December 11, 2012 @ 9:34am PSTTags: Andy Samberg, Spirit Awards

LOS ANGELES (December 11, 2012) – Film Independent co-presidents Sean McManus and Josh Welsh jointly announced that Andy Samberg will serve as host for the 2013 Film Independent Spirit Awards. The nonprofit, which also produces the Los Angeles Film

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Andy Samberg To Star In Fox & Universal TV’s Mike Schur/Dan Goor Cop Comedy

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Thursday October 18, 2012 @ 2:35pm PDTTags: Andy Samberg, Dan Goor, Fox, Mike Schur, Saturday Night Live
Nellie Andreeva

Andy Samberg Fox Comedy Pilot StarEXCLUSIVE: In a big early casting coup this broadcast development season, Saturday Night Live star Andy Samberg is set as the lead of Fox‘s untitled Mike Schur/Dan Goor comedy pilot. The single-camera comedy, written by the Parks And Recreation duo of co-creator/exec producer/showrunner Schur and executive producer Goor, is about a diverse group of detectives in a precinct at the very edge of New York City. Emmy winner Samberg will play the lead detective. He will also serve as a producer of the comedy, from Universal TV, which is executive produced by Schur, Goor and 3 Arts’ David Miner. “Andy’s hilarious, and he was the first guy we thought of when we designed the part,” Schur and Goor said. “From the moment we mentioned his name, everyone at Universal Television and Fox was 100% on-board. Andy loved the pitch, and it all came together really quickly. We couldn’t be happier.” Schur and Goor have worked with Samberg before — he guest starred in a 2010 episode of Parks & Rec.

In a fierce biggest bidding war, Schur and Goor’s pitch landed at Fox in August with a rich pilot production commitment. The casting of Samberg will no doubt turn that into a pilot order once the script is completed.

During his seven-year stint on Saturday Night Live, which he left this summer, Samberg, along with his Lonely Island cohorts Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone, helped usher the venerable sketch comedy show into the digital age with their viral digital shorts, including megahit “D*** In A Box” featuring Timberlake, which won them an Emmy. Read More »

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Hot Trailer: ‘Hotel Transylvania’

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Friday June 22, 2012 @ 12:09am PDTTags: Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, Selena Gomez, Sony Pictures Animation

Sony Pictures Animation has released a longer theatrical trailer for Hotel Transylvania which features Adam Sandler voicing Dracula and Selena Gomez as his daughter Mavis plus Sandler’s That’s My Boy (ahem) co-star Andy Samberg as an intrusive human who stumbles upon the monster retreat. Genndy Tartakovsky, known … Read More »

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Andy Samberg Goes ‘Cuckoo’ For BBC Three Comedy Series

By NANCY TARTAGLIONE, International Editor | Tuesday June 12, 2012 @ 7:30am PDTTags: Andy Samberg, BBC, SNL

Just after confirming his departure from Saturday Night Live, Andy Samberg has joined BBC Three comedy, Cuckoo. The six-part series from Roughcut Television will shoot this summer to air later this year. In it, Samberg will play Cuckoo, … Read More »

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Andy Samberg Confirms Exit From ‘SNL’

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Friday June 1, 2012 @ 6:20pm PDTTags: Andy Samberg, Saturday Night Live
Nellie Andreeva

Andy Samberg Leaving SNLSaturday Night Live star Andy Samberg today ended months of speculations that he would be leaving the veteran NBC sketch comedy show. He confirmed his exit through his publicist. Samberg, Kristen Wiig and Jason Sudeikis … Read More »

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Emma Stone & Andrew Garfield Hype Spidey

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Sunday November 13, 2011 @ 1:22am PSTTags: Andrew Garfield, Andy Samberg, Emma Stone, NBC, Saturday Night Live, SNL, The Amazing Spider-Man

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VIDEO: Justin Timberlake & Andy Samberg’s Latest ‘SNL’ Digital Short

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Sunday May 22, 2011 @ 12:18am PDTTags: Andy Samberg, Justin Timberlake, Saturday Night Live, Video
Nellie Andreeva

We have a trilogy – On tonight’s season finale of Saturday Night Live hosted by Justin Timberlake, he teamed with Andy Samberg for 3-Way (The Golden Rule), a triquel to their Emmy-winning digital short Dick In a Box and Emmy-nominated Motherlover. Timberlake and Samberg are back as their 1990s-inspired characters, … Read More »

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Tina Fey Does Sarah Palin Again On ‘SNL’ Which In Turn Had Bin Laden Everywhere

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Sunday May 8, 2011 @ 12:17am PDTTags: Andy Samberg, Michael Bolton, Osama Bin Laden, Saturday Night Live, Tina Fey
Nellie Andreeva

Tina Fey returned as host of Saturday Night Live tonight and brought back her trademark impersonation of Sarah Palin in a Republican 2012 Undeclared Candidates Debate skit. (Fox News, where Palin works as a contributor, carried the first GOP presidential candidates debate this past week.) “It’s just so great to be back on Fox News, a network that both pays me and shows me the questions ahead of time,” Fey’s Palin said. “I just hope tonight that the lamestream media won’t twist my words by repeating them verbatim.” And another zinger: “I want to acknowledge that this week we finally vanquished one of the world’s great villains –  and I for one am thrilled to say good riddance to Katie Couric.” Is it just me, or does Fey, former SNL head writer, always elevate the writing on the show when she hosts? Also returning for the skit was alum Darrell Hammond, dusting off his spot-on Donald Trump impersonation:

As for Osama bin Laden, he was everywhere, including an ”Under the Sea” tableau interrupted when bin Laden’s body is dropped into the sea. Fred Armisen read a last will as bin Laden. But Seth Meyers got off the most memorable line of the night during Weekend Update: ”Barack Obama will go down in history as the first black person ever to have to prove that he killed someone”:

Meanwhile, the mash-up of Andy Samberg’s rap group with Michael Bolton in Pirates of the Caribbean and other movies rocked:

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Church Lady Talks Charlie Sheen & ‘Skins’, Justin Bieber Does ‘Roommate’, Ratings Up

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Sunday February 6, 2011 @ 7:50am PSTTags: Andy Samberg, Jersey Shore, Saturday Night Live, Skins, SNL Video, TV, Two and a Half Men, Video
Nellie Andreeva

UPDATE: Last night’s Saturday Night Live hosted by SNL alum Dana Carvey with musical guest Linkin Park drew a 5.6 household metered-market rating, up 4% from the same telecast last year. It was the second highest-rated SNL this season behind the Jan. 8 telecast, which was boosted by a highly-rated NFL primetime game.

PREVIOUS: Saturday Night Live host Dana Carvey dusted off his trademark Church Lady SNL character last night to opine about “all of the evil shows” on TV: MTV’s controversial teen drama Skins (SportsCenter for pedophiles), Two and a Half Men (One and a Half Men and a Whore Monger) and Jersey Shore (Jersey Whore). Her guests included the 3 Kardashian sisters (the holy trinity of sluts) as well as Justin Bieber who also did a spoof of new movie The Roommate with SNL‘s Andy Samberg. Here are the videos: Read More »

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‘SNL’ Features ‘Cape’ Parody, Pee-wee Short

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Sunday January 16, 2011 @ 3:29pm PSTTags: Andy Samberg, Paul Reubens, Pee-wee Herman, Saturday Night Live, Saturday Night Live Video, The Cape, TV, Video
Nellie Andreeva

Saturday Night Live last night took on the new NBC superhero drama The Cape with fake promos for other NBC series about “superheroes who get their superpowers from items of clothing,” including The Scarf, The Scrunchy and The Spanx. Meanwhile, Paul Reubens is already getting online support for a hosting … Read More »

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RATINGS RAT RACE: ESPY Awards & ‘Psych’ Premiere Gain In Young Viewers

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Thursday July 15, 2010 @ 4:45pm PDTTags: Andy Samberg, Hot in Cleveland Ratings, LeBron James, Paul Rudd, Ratings, Seth Meyers, Steve Carell, Tosh.0 Ratings, TV Ratings, Video, Will Ferrell
Nellie Andreeva

The Saturday Night Live-flavored ESPY Awards, hosted by Seth Meyers and featuring current SNL cast member Andy Samberg and alum Will Ferrell, averaged 2.6 million viewers from 9-11:30 PM last night. The awards’ 18-49 audience was 1.7 million, which is up 30% from last year, when the ESPYs ran on … Read More »

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