Christopher Meloni is returning to his comedy roots.
The Law & Order: SVU alum has landed the starring role in Fox's adaptation of Justin Halpern's book I Suck at Girls, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.
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The untitled comedy is described as a story about a boy becoming a man, and a man becoming a father, in a time before coming of age was something you could Google
Meloni -- who began his career with roles in sitcoms The Fanelli Boys, Dinosaurs, The Boys and the cult feature Wet Hot American Summer, will star as Jack Dunlevy, a no-nonsense guy who until recently has been the go to work early, come home late, yell at his kids and go to bed type of guy. When his wife returns to law school and he's tasked with taking a more active role in his children's lives, he's stuck with the responsibilities that come with being a full-time parent. Rather than adhere to society's parenting rules, Jack opts to bring his own blunt style to parenting.
Deception's Connor Buckley will star as his teenage son Frankie, while Claudia Lee will portray his daughter, Rachel.
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Halpern and Patrick Schumacker (S#*! My Dad Says) will pen the script and executive produce alongside Cougar Town's Bill Lawrence and Jeff Ingold. Victor Nelli will direct the Warner Bros. Television and Doozer Productions' single-camera pilot.
Meloni, who most recently had an arc on HBO's True Blood, played Detective Elliot Stabler on NBC's SVU for 12 seasons, earning an Emmy nomination for the role in 2006. He's repped by Gersh and Industry Entertainment. The Fox pilot would mark his first series regular role since NBC's veteran procedural. Meloni next appears in features White Bird in a Blizzard, Small Time, 42, Man of Steel and Sin City: A Dame to Kill For.
Email: Lesley.Goldberg@thr.com; Twitter: @Snoodit
