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'My Boys' alums Kyle Howard and Kellee Stewart will co-star in the comedy and reunite with series creator Betsy Thomas.
NBC's Crunch Time has found its cast.
Craig Ferguson has been tapped to star in the game show/comedy hybrid pilot, The Hollywood Reporter has learned. Also cast in the pilot are My Boys alums Kyle Howard and Kellee Stewart, who will reunite with series creator Betsy Thomas on the comedy.
Described as a hybrid game show/comedy, Crunch Time intercuts between a real game show and the scripted workplace that centers on an up-and-coming producer trying to wrangle the volatile host.
Ferguson will take on the role of Toby, the host of Crunch Time and a successful stand-up comedian. His career as an actor stalled and he's turning to the game show to take his career to the next level. A nice guy on-camera, off-camera he struggles with feeling too good for his job and not good enough at it.
Howard will take on the role of Jake, Crunch Time's head writer who's also a hipster playwright who does the gig for the money and his friendship with Emily (the uncast showrunner of Crunch Time). However, he can't stand Toby.
Stewart is set as Marcelle, Emily's best friend and confidant who is head of the game show contestants and always discovering the next great contestant.
This marks the second year in a row that Ferguson, former host of The Late Late Show, has booked a broadcast pilot. Last season, he starred in ABC comedy King of 7B, which did not move forward. Ferguson, who has had a voice role in the How to Train Your Dragon feature film franchise, is currently hosting History's Join or Die With Craig Ferguson and syndicated Celebrity Name Game. He's repped by WME and Gang Tyre.
Howard, who starred on My Boys as Bobby Newman, starred on TBS comedy Your Family Or Mine. His credits include Royal Pains and features Made for Each Other and Orange County. He's with UTA.
Stewart portrayed Stephanie on My Boys and counts TV Land's The Soul Man among her credits. She's with Domain Talent.
My Boys creator Thomas will pen the script and exec produce the Universal Television comedy alongside Phil Gurin and David Janollari. Gurin created the concept for the game show/multicamera entry.
Keep up with all the latest pickups, castings and eventual series orders with THR's handy guide to pilot season.
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