Casey Wilson and June Diane Raphael with Elizabeth Laime (inset) Michael Tran/FilmMagic; Inset: Courtesy of UTA
Elizabeth Laime will pen the script for "Crystal."
ABC is continuing to buy high-concept comedies.
The network is teaming with Casey Wilson, June Diane Raphael and Elizabeth Laime to develop comedy Crystal, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.
The comedy revolves around Crystal, a hustler from the wrong side of the trailer park who, fresh out of prison, lands a job in the suburbs as an in-home health aide. Despite having no education, experience or vaccinations she is determined to succeed at her job and change her life.
Laime (Comedy Bang Bang!) will pen the script and serve as a supervising producer alongside Raphael and Wilson. The comedy hails from ABC Studios, where Raphael and Wilson are under an overall deal.
Laime, a prolific podcaster, got her start at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in New York with her long-running one woman show, Dear Diary and as part of the original "Maude" sketch team, Gunderson. Her three podcasts, Totally Laime, Totally Married and Totally Mommy have totaled more than 6 million downloads. She is repped by Thruline and attorney Adam Kaller.
Producing duo Wilson and Raphael are set to star in and write a comedy produced by Jessica Elbaum for Gloria Sanchez, the female-driven producing arm of Adam McKay and Will Ferrell's Gary Sanchez banner. Together, they wrote and starred in Ass Backwards in addition to writing and producing NBC comedy pilot The Mason Twins, which starred Raphael. Wilson is repped by UTA, manager Naomi Odenkirk and attorney P.J. Shapiro. Raphael is also with UTA and Shapiro.
High-concept comedies have been all the rage this development season as broadcast networks look for the next incarnation of Fox's The Last Man on Earth. For its part, ABC also has talking dog comedy Downward Dog in the works with Fargo's Allison Tolman set to star.
TV Development
