Sans the fact that it still doesn’t have a title, Up All Night executive producer DJ Nash’s pilot is coming along pretty nicely. Parker Posey, who has been enjoying a lengthy guest stint on The Good Wife this season, has taken a lead role in the series and today J.K. Simmons has been added to the roster, also in a starring role.
NBC’s comedy pilot is actually an unusual family sitcom set in the 1980s. According to Deadline, in the pilot, Simmons will play a dad and divorcee who also happens to be blind. In the untitled comedy, Simmons will have a kid with Posey. The role of the couple’s son hasn’t been cast yet, but he is described as the type of kid who finds his family is getting along better than ever thanks to the divorce. Nash is executive producing the pilot, which will be told through flashbacks with voiceovers from the now-adult son. Actor Jason Bateman and Jim Garavente will also executive produce.
Simmons’ casting in NBC’s pilot is actually bad news for people who have been looking forward to ABC’s midseason comedy, Family Tools. Initially called White Van Man, the pilot has gone through plenty of changes, eventually landing in a late midseason slot at the network. The fact that Simmons is already looking elsewhere doesn’t bode well for Family Tools, either. However, if ABC’s comedy does randomly catch on with audiences, Simmons would have to defer the NBC pilot and stick with the program at ABC.
