A Community star is graduating to The Odd Couple.
Yvette Nicole Brown has joined the cast of CBS' update toplined by Matthew Perry as part of a significant retooling, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.
The Odd Couple is a modern retelling of the unlikely friendship of two roommates, the disheveled Oscar Madison (Perry) and nerdy Felix Unger (Thomas Lennon), based on Neil Simon's Broadway play.
Brown, who will also continue starring in the Yahoo Screen-revived Community, will now play Oscar's assistant Dani, a role vacated by Go On's Sarah Baker as part of a recasting key female parts. Georgia King, who was originally cast as a fellow resident in Oscar and Felix's apartment building, also exited. Lindsay Sloane and Wendell Pierce remain on board.
As for Brown's character, Dani is described as someone who spends most of her workday on the phone, apologizing to assorted high and mighty people who have been offended by his latest splenetic rant. A woman of tact and polish -- two concepts that never enter into Oscar's bullheaded professional life -- Dani has one or two little issues that make her a less than ideal employee: She has no short-term memory and can't even remember to write down notes to herself.
Perry will pen the script with Joe Keenan (Glee, Frasier). The Friends alum will also executive produce the CBS Television Studios comedy alongside Timberman-Beverly's Carl Beverly and Sarah Timberman as well as The Tannenbaum Co.'s Eric and Kim Tannenbaum and Bob Daily.
Brown is repped by Innovative Artists and Del, Shaw, Moonves, Tanaka, Finkelstein & Lezcano.
Production on the sixth season of Community is not expected to start up again for at least several months, so scheduling between the two shows should not be an immediate issue as The Odd Couple begins filming next week. Creator Dan Harmon hinted at Comic-Con that the writers' room for Community would not begin until the fall, saying vaguely that the 13 episodes — to be rolled out weekly — will likely launch some time after Christmas.
The Odd Couple is expected to debut midseason on CBS.
Email: Lesley.Goldberg@THR.com; Philiana.Ng@THR.com
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