It may have been a blow when New Adventures Of Old Christine was cancelled after five seasons, but showrunner Kari Lizer is doing fine. Only a year and a half after her last program ended, Lizer has two new shows on the horizon – and on separate networks, nonetheless. It’s a feat any showrunner could be proud of, and even more so for that rare breed of female showrunner.
Lizer’s latest is an untitled multi-camera project comedy. ABC has already put in a put-pilot commitment to the program, which Deadline is stating will follow a powerful female executive. Suddenly, the executive will find herself as a stay-at-home mom watching over three kids. Since Lizer herself is a successful executive (producer) and a mom of three, there seem to be a few parallels going on. Lizer is set to write as well as executive produce the untitled show.
Lizer’s other project, Lady Friends, is over at NBC. The buddy comedy ignited a bidding war with the four major networks, but since NBC has been all over bidding wars lately, winning Sarah Silverman and others over, it’s no surprise they nabbed Lizer’s idea. Unsurprisingly, Lady Friends will be a female buddy comedy following two friends who live completely opposite lives.
If it seems odd Lizer wouldn’t head straight to CBS - the network that housed New Adventures Of Old Christine - it’s really not. CBS abruptly canceled the series without notice. No doubt Lizer is hoping for better treatment at ABC and NBC. Either way, she has her hands in two very different pots, so if one doesn’t work out, she still has a backup.
