Back in October, NBC picked up a single-camera comedy about the White House and politics from a trio of pretty big names: Book of Mormon’s Josh Gad, former Obama speechwriter Jon Lovett, and Modern Family director Jason Winer. According to Deadline, at the time, the show was tracking pretty well. It’s a wonder the comedy, titled 1600 Penn didn’t get a pilot order in the initial round of pilots for next season, but NBC’s stalling did not actually last for very long.
Now, 1600 Penn has made it through the first round of cuts. This may have to do a bit with Gad, who is no longer on board to simply produce, but who will act, as well. After that little tweak, 1600 Penn seems set to produce a pilot for the show, a pilot which will cross life in the White House with a very dysfunctional family. Gad, Lovett, and Winer are all set to executive produce.
After the pilot was ordered due in part to the addition of Gad to the lineup, NBC made a second announcement. As it turns out, Gad will actually star in the NBC pilot, as the eldest son in the family. While it is often the case that the oldest child is the most responsible, the idea will not prove true for Gad’s character, who will be reckless and will cause problems for the family. NBC has already proved a White House-based drama can work, with The West Wing, but since it can be difficult to toe the right line with politics and comedy, only time will tell whether a White House comedy can garner a large audience.
