Comedy Central orders “Big Time in Hollywood, FL,” and animated “Moonbeam City” to series

Comedy Central announced two new half-hour series coming to the network later in 2014, with the pickups of 10 episodes each for Big Time in Hollywood, FL, and Moonbeam City.

The announcements came Friday as the cable network took its turn before the TV Critics Association annual roundup in Pasadena, Calif.

More about each series, now, from the press releases:

Big Time in Hollywood, FL

A scripted comedy following delusional brothers and self-proclaimed filmmakers, played by Alex Anfanger and Lenny Jacobson — kicked out of their parents’ house and forced to fend for themselves. Kathy Baker and Stephen Tobolowsky will co-star as the brothers’ parents.

Produced by Red Hour and Brillstein Entertainment Partners, Big Time in Hollywood, FL, is executive produced and written by Alex Anfanger and Dan Schimpf, along with Red Hour’s Ben Stiller, Debbie Liebling, Stuart Cornfeld and Mike Rosenstein, and Brillstein Entertainment Partners’ Lee Kernis and Brian Stern. Anfanger will also star in the series, along with Lenny Jacobson, Kathy Baker, Stephen Tobolowsky and Jon Bass. Schimpf directed the pilot. Monika Zielinska and Adam Londy are the Executives in Charge of Production for Comedy Central.

“’Big Time’ combines the directorial style of Hitchcock, the acting prowess of Streep, the budget of House of Payne, and the nutritional value of Velveeta. I think people’s minds will be blown wide open. For real,” said Stiller.

Anfanger and Schimpf met as freshman roommates at NYU, and graduated in 2008. They found success with the webseries “Next Time on Lonny,” which will enjoy a second season of its own thanks to Red Hour and Maker Studios. Anfanger also appears in Stiller’s new movie, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.

Moonbeam City

An animated series that takes a typical 1980s crime drama and goes absurd with it. Rob Lowe voices undercover detective Dazzle Novak. Elizabeth Banks voices his police chief boss, and Will Forte voices rookie cop Rad Cunningham. Kate Mara also voices a role. It’ll get 10 half-hour episodes in 2015.

“I was hoping for 10,000 episodes, but 10 is a good start,” said Scott Gairdner, Moonbeam City‘s creator and executive producer.

Olive Bridge Entertainment’s Will Gluck and Richard Schwartz also executive produce, with Lowe producing. Mark Brooks serves as Supervising Director, with animation by Titmouse. Ian Friedman is the Executive in Charge of Production for Comedy Central.

Comedy Central’s other new animated series, TripTank, was ordered back in October 2012 — it just recently received a start date: Wednesday, April 2, 2014.

Sean L. McCarthy

Editor and publisher since 2007, when he was named New York's Funniest Reporter. Former newspaper reporter at the New York Daily News, Boston Herald and smaller dailies and community papers across America. Loves comedy so much he founded this site.

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