NickMom and Nick at Nite are taking a former teen star and turning her into the lead actress in a brand new comedy. Instant Mom stars Tia Mowry-Hardrict as Stephanie, a brand new stepmom who may have bit off more than she can chew after marrying a man with multiple kids. Nick at Nite greenlighted the new series this spring, and has now signed on for an extended episode order ahead of the premiere.
At the beginning of the series, Stephanie will “trade in cosmos for carpools” when she marries Charlie (Michael Boatman). Charlie has three kids, and Stephanie will have to adjust to jumping into motherhood full time, although she does want to keep some of her spunky personality and still have fun like she used to in her former life. The half-hour comedy is based on familial relationships and Stephanie’s mom, Maggie (Moesha) will be a big part of the family-based cast. Victorious’ Warren Bell and Jessica Butler created the series, and it will be executive produced by Howard Gould and Aaron Kaplan, who has had another show on Nick at Nite that was recently cancelled.
The show will air first on Nick at Night, with reruns appearing later on Nick Mom. This is a bit of a difference from the original airing planning for the series, which would have seen it air on NickMom, first. The series is scheduled to premiere on September 29, but on Monday Deadline announced the show has signed on for 7 extra episodes ahead of the show’s release. The original episode order for Instant Mom was a healthy 13 episodes, but with the added seven, the first season has now nabbed a 20-episode count, which is closer to the length of a season of network TV than most cable TV endeavors.
Mowry-Hardrict is known for shows like Sister, Sister and The Game. She started acting as a teenager, but has been in the public eye ever since. She also stars in the reality series Tia & Tamera, which follows Tia and her twin sister Tamera Mowry-Housley as they each continue to pursue acting careers. Additionally, the women’s family lives, their relationship with one another, and even the strains of motherhood. She should be a good fit for a Nick at Nite original comedy, but we’ll have to wait and see when the show premieres.
Obviously Instant Mom doesn’t have the most exciting or original premise that TV has ever seen. Still, it will be nice to see Mowry-Hardrict back on television in a more regular capacity, and harken back to the days of easy breezy 90s sitcoms. Besides, Nick at Nite already has confidence in the series, which is a good sign for fans who may avoid tuning in if they are worried about the show getting cancelled early on.
Instant Mom premieres on September 29 at 8 p.m. ET on Nick at Nite.
