by What’s happening in the comedy world now…
- The post-tropical storm named Sandy but also referred to as either a hurricane or a “Frankenstorm” prompted the cancellations Monday of live comedy shows in clubs across the Tri-State area, plus Broadway productions and show tapings of The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, and the first of a weeklong Brooklyn production of Jimmy Kimmel Live. The show still went on, however, for both Late Show with David Letterman and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon — both TV talkers hosted shows Monday, just without their regular live studio audiences.
- NBC announced it would revamp Up All Night, turning it from a single-cam format to a multi-cam filmed in front of a live studio audience. The series, starring Christina Applegate, Maya Rudolph and Will Arnett, received an order for three additional episodes as part of the format change. It’ll go off the air in December after airing its 11th episode of the second season, then return in or around April 2013 with the new sets and format for five multi-cam episodes for a 16-episode season. What will air in its time slot from January to Spring 2013? Ahem, Community, ahem? NBC’s new unscheduled sitcoms are 1600 Penn and Save Me.
- Speaking of NBC, Rainn Wilson revealed on Monday via his Twitter feed that the network had passed on his spin-off of The Office called The Farm. The “back-door” pilot episode featuring Dwight Schrute and his extended family still will air some time this season as an episode of The Office.
- ABC has given The Neighbors a back-nine order for additional episodes, giving the rookie sitcom a full 22-episode season.
- The early end to the World Series — the San Francisco Giants swept the Detroit Tigers in four games — has allowed FOX to restart its Sunday-night “Animation Domination” lineup a week earlier than planned. New episodes of The Simpsons, Bob’s Burgers, Family Guy and American Dad return this coming Sunday, Nov. 4.
- Chris Klein will play WME agent Brandt Joel in a pilot presentation for FOX from Mark Wahlberg and Steve Levinson, based on Nikki Joel’s blog — LifestyleLemonaid.com — about being married to him. The adaptation finds the lead character working as a construction foreman. Klein is with ICM and Brillstein.
- Michaela Watkins has landed a role in ABC’s single-cam pilot, Trophy Wife. Watkins will play an ex-wife of Bradley Whitford’s character and mother of his youngest child. The pilot also stars Malin Ackerman. Watkins is with CAA and Evolution.
- FOX is putting another animated pitch into development — this one comes from Lew Morton and Jake Kasdan. Wentworth Hall, created and written by Morton, would follow college students at a university where both the students and the institution are not quite up to snuff.
