With the upcoming sitcom Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, NBC is putting together three of the funniest ladies of its former Thursday night comedy block. Created by Tina Fey and fellow ex-Saturday Night Live and 30 Rock writer Robert Carlock, the series stars The Office’s Ellie Kemper in the titular lead role, and now Jane Krakowski has signed on for a recurring part. Will this be a 30 Rock reunion that begins, ends and middles with songs? We can dream…dream…dream a little dream of meee…
According to Deadline, Krakowski is taking over a character that was played by actress Megan Dobbs (CSI: NY) in the already-filmed pilot, with the deal coming together fairly quickly following Fox’s announcement that the Dead Boss pilot was as dead as its boss. Apparently the one scene the character was in has been rerecorded with the Emmy-nominated Krakowski in the role, and she will play heavily into Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt’s upcoming trailer.
In Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Kemper plays the wide-eyed Kimmy, who is rescued (along with four other women) from a cult after living with them for 15 years. Such an ordeal would destroy some people, but not Kimmy, who decides to make the best of her newfound freedom by living in New York City, where she becomes roommates with a gay theater actor, Titus (Tituss Burgess), who works as a costumed robot in Times Square. While he teaches her about living in the modern world, she in turn inspires him that giving up should never be an option. Krakowski is set to play an affluent Upper West Side mother who hires Kimmy to be a nanny for her children. The cast also includes Lauren Adams and Sara Chase. Though Fey is listed as a “star” in the Deadline story, there’s no sign if that’s actually real or not.
Jane Krakowski is easily best known for playing the egotistical and flighty actress Jenna Maroney in 30 Rock and could use a hilarious new show to get her back on my TV. Her small screen roles have been limited to guest spots on The Simpsons and Modern Family, but she’ll soon be seen on the big screen in Adriana Trigiani’s romance Big Stone Gap and in Ross Katz’s comedian-filled Brother’s Keeper. But until we see those, let’s relive some of Jenna’s non sequitur gloriousness in the video below.
Though the Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt trailer should be online soon, the Tristram Shapeero-directed pilot is reportedly going to get tweaked in a few other ways before it airs some time later this year.
