CBS has announced it is headed in "one direction" by giving the green-light to a new comedy starring New Girl's Damon Wayans Jr. The multi-camera sitcom has gotten a direct-to-series order for the network's upcoming broadcast season. So where does Harry Styles fit in? The pop singer will executive produce the project and there is a very good reason why. The show is sort of based on his life.
The as-yet-to-be-titled sitcom will be loosely based on the time Harry Styles spent living with Ben Winston, an executive producer on The Late Late Show with James Corden. Winston will executive produce the CBS sitcom along with Styles. According to the synopsis shared by Deadline, the show will explore what happens when stardom crosses paths with suburbia. Such an event is rare in reality but could definitely make for great TV. Here is what we know.
The show will center on Peter (Damon Wayans Jr.) and Claire (Greek's Amber Stevens West), a couple who have grown tired of their by-the-numbers life in suburbia. That's when a breath of unexpected air breezes in via the form of a pop star, a.k.a. the character inspired by Harry Styles. The lad is intrigued by their life and decides to move in. In the process, he helps the couple reconnect with younger (and in their minds, "cooler") versions of themselves. The show will not be based on specific real-life experiences or draw on real-life people.
In previously announced news, Felix Mallard will portray the character inspired by Harry Styles. The "Sign of the Times" singer will not star as the sitcom's version of him, something that could have taken the show to interesting, albeit surreal, places. Styles is no stranger to acting, having recently taken on his first role in the Christopher Nolan epic Dunkirk. That heavy drama is, of course, a far cry from the light-hearted nature of a sitcom.
The new CBS show sounds promisingly funny thanks to an original premise that should nicely leverage the comedic talents of Damon Wayans Jr. and Amber Stevens West. West was a standout on the cast of the college comedy Greek, so it will be fun to see her playing this scenario out opposite a consummate comic like Wayans Jr. The story has strong legs too. It is slightly reminiscent of the time TV saw aspiring rocker Jesse Katsopolis trade in the stage for suburbia. And that turned out pretty well!
No precise premiere date has been set for Damon Wayans Jr.'s new show. It should premiere this coming fall on CBS. Before a new TV season can begin, the current one has to end. To find out when the season finales of CBS' currently running shows air, check out our guide to this spring's season finales. While you wait for fall to arrive, also check out guide to this year's summer premieres.
