Veteran actor Matthew Broderick has done plenty of guest stints on television in the past, but now he’s set to headline a comedy pilot over at CBS. Broderick is signed on for the still-untitled Ted Quill pilot the network announced pretty late in the game, back in February.
Broderick will star in the pilot as Jack, a father and widower who has spent enough time mourning and is now ready to tie his sails to a new partner. That’s a pretty vague description for a comedy, but not wholly unexpected from a network that often starts with easy premises and creates memorable characters from those simple initial ideas. According to Deadline, Quill’s pilot has gone through the wringer and was originally a pilot at CBS three years ago. Normally, I’d say a shelved pilot is probably not the best idea; however, that pilot never came together thanks to problems with casting a strong name for the lead rather than an issue with the overarching premise.
Apparently, Broderick is a big enough name to give the pilot a go this time around. The Tower Heist actor usually sticks to films and guest starring TV roles, including 30 Rock and Modern Family, so that he can stay committed to theatrical productions. It should be noted that a few years back, the actor was also expected to star in an NBC workplace comedy, but that never panned out. This time around, a meeting with Quill gave the actor a reason to come onboard. I wish I could have been there to see that pitch from the producer. Hopefully, the untitled pilot will get a name and nab one of those elusive open spots on CBS in next year’s schedule.
