The comedy, which received a hefty pilot production order, centers on a woman and her dog.
ABC is going to the dogs.
The network has handed out a hefty pilot-production order to Downward Dog, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.
The half-hour, single-camera comedy is based on the web series created and written by Animal Media Group's Samm Hodges and Michael Killen, who will exec produce alongside Mosaic Media Group's Jimmy Miller and Sam Hansen as well as Animal's Kathy Sziubek.
The potential series, a co-production between Legendary Television and ABC Studios, centers on a woman and her dog. The twist is that it features a Modern Family-style confessional device — for the dog. The script has been drawing rave reviews around town, with ABC said to be high on the project.
"Very rarely have I ever seen something so well-conceived, and then well-executed. Michael and Samm have imagined a perfect blend of comedy, observation, and heart. I couldn’t be more excited about this,” Miller said.
Animal Media Group is the media entertainment arm of Animal Inc., which has produced commercials and branded content including feature films Blood Brother (which won the Sundance Grand Jury prize in 2013) and Gennadiy (which premiered at this year's Tribeca Film Festival). Downward Dog represents Animal’s first scripted TV series.
For Legendary Television, the order comes as the company recently completed production on season one of Netflix's two-season Judd Apatow comedy Love. The company next has USA Network's Colony as well as the cabler's Poor Richard’s Almanack pilot.
The Downward Dog order also comes as Legendary TV received a script order at Fox for drama The Crusaders, with Idris Elba attached to exec produce.
(Episodes of the web series have subsequently been removed.)
TV Development
