TruTV is officially in the scripted business.
The Turner-owned cable network on Tuesday announced that it has ordered comedy Those Who Can't to series, marking its first full-length series.
The cabler has ordered 10 episodes of the comedy for a 2016 launch. Created by and starring Adam Cayton-Holland, Andrew Orvedahl and Ben Roy — members of the Denver-based comedy troupe The Grawlix — the series hails from Thank You, Brain! Productions and 3 Arts Entertainment.
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Set in Denver, the half-hour comedy follows three dysfunctional high school teachers who are as screwed up as the kids they teach. Maria Thayer (Eagleheart) co-stars.
"Those Who Can't has exactly the kind of fresh, slightly off-kilter humor we're looking for as we venture into the world of scripted comedy," said Chris Linn, president and head of programming for truTV. "Adam, Andrew and Ben have created a terrifically funny show that's a perfect fit for the new truTV and our target audience of young adult viewers."
Cayton-Holland, Orvedahl, Roy, Tracey Baird and Krysia Plonka of Thank You, Brain! Productions exec produce alongside 3 Arts' Michael Rotenberg and Josh Lieberman. Angel Annussek oversees for TruTV alongside Rich Korson, who signed an overall development deal with truTV in 2014.
For TruTV, the comedy series comes as the cabler has been building up its comedy offerings with a reality prank show from David Spade as well as a scripted comedy pilot starring Shaquille O'Neal after it landed Billy Eichner vehicle Billy on the Street, which moved to the network from Fuse.
TruTV joins networks including Bravo, E!, The El Rey Network, Pop, WE tv and WGN America as the scripted landscape grows increasingly crowed and competitive.
Email: Lesley.Goldberg@THR.com
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