IFC is busy accumulating a slate of great comedies and - following in Scott Aukerman's footsteps with Comedy Bang! Bang!'s transition from podcast to series - WTF with Marc Maron is getting a small-screen adaptation at the network. The comedian made a name for himself in the relatively new medium with his unique voice as well as candid interviews with other big (and small) names in the comedy world.
Set to premiere next summer, Deadline reports that IFC has turned to writer-producers Sivert Glarum and Michael Jamin to serve as executive producers/showrunners for the series tentatively tilted Maron. The writer-producers have tons of experience in television starting with Just Shoot Me and King of the Hill before eventually winding up working on the excellent FX series Wilfred.
And to add to the excitement, the article also mentions that Maron has hired Academy Award winner Luke Matheny, to direct at least some of the 10 first season episodes. Matheny won the Best Short Film Oscar for God of Love, which was basically his first project out of film school. I'm interested to see how the young talent takes to working with the veteran showrunners and Maron himself.
Maron will be a semi-autobiographical look at the comedian's life that focuses on his beginnings as a struggling podcaster working out of his garage (which he still does) and interviewing other comedians. He's also got a bunch of other problems, including his much younger girlfriend, a pride of cats and an overbearing father played by Ed Asner in the pilot. I hope Asner stays, having Up's Carl Fredricksen as Maron's dad would be the icing on the cake and just another of many reasons to tune in next summer.
