Stiller creates show starring wife
Christine Taylor plays herself in comedy series
First, there was The Osbournes about Ozzy Osbourne and his brood. Then the train wreck of Being Bobby Brown followed the washed-up singer's life with Whitney Houston, and finally there was Hogan Knows Best with the wrestler Hulk Hogan bringing cameras into his home. (And who can forget Newlyweds with Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey?)
Now comedian Ben Stiller is getting in on reality TV, directing and executive producing a comedy starring his wife, Christine Taylor.
The comedy is based on Taylor's life. "She is a small-town girl who has found her way into Hollywood but still retains a lot of the values and humility (of her upbringing)," CBS Entertainment president Nina Tassler told the Hollywood Reporter. "There are times when she is befuddled by her status - being an actress married to a big movie star." CBS has committed to a pilot and has yet to give the series a name.
On the show, Taylor's character will juggle her career and her family with relatives from her hometown who are still very involved in her life. Stiller will recur as her husband. (Hopefully the series will follow in the footsteps of Curb Your Enthusiasm with its verité camera work and sharp dialogue but will steer clear of things like Christine gets a pedicure or Christine shampoos her dog. And a dash of Zoolander humour wouldn't be bad thing either. We can only pray.)
Taylor has previously starred in several pilots for the network, including The Commuters and Harry's Girl.
"We love her," Tassler told the Hollywood Reporter. "And we are over the moon" about working with Stiller, she said.
