It looks like TV Land could be hosting the second attempt at a mini-Cheers reunion. Rhea Perlman has joined former co-star Kirstie Allie in the pilot for the comedy Giant Baby. The two actresses were both involved in the ABC pilot The Manzinis last year, which didn't get picked up.
Perlman has come on board the Giant Baby pilot to play Thelma, the assistant to Kirstie Alley’s character Madison “Maddie” Banks, according to Deadline. Maddie Banks is a Broadway star whose son turns up seeking his biological mother after his adoptive mother dies. Thelma, who is not only Maddie’s assistant but also her best friend, encourages her to work towards a relationship with her long-lost son.
Perlman and Alley have spent plenty of time on TV Land together – in Cheers re-runs. Now that the network is moving away from its old format featuring classic sitcoms and creating more original programming, the two actresses will get their chance to appear in something a little more current. It seems they’re anxious to work together again (not that you would have known by the way their characters on Cheers felt about each other) and might just be a perfect fit for TV Land audiences. The question will be whether Giant Baby’s pilot turns out better than the previous attempt and gets picked up. I’d like to see them make a title change on this one, as it might be among the worst I’ve ever seen, but I can’t find much fault with the casting so far.
