by Vanessa Bayer’s life story is getting the Showtime treatment!
The premium cable network announced today it has ordered Bayer’s half-hour comedy series, I Love This For You. Fellow Saturday Night Live alum Molly Shannon will co-star.
Bayer co-created the series with Emmy nominee and two-time Peabody winner Jeremy Beiler (Saturday Night Live, Inside Amy Schumer, I Think You Should Leave), who will executive produce. Emmy and Peabody winner Jessi Klein (Inside Amy Schumer, Dead to Me, Transparent) will serve as showrunner and executive produce along with Michael Showalter (The Big Sick, Wet Hot American Summer).
”I’m so thrilled to be making this show with SHOWTIME and that all of my hours of home shopping as a kid are finally paying off!” said Bayer. “It’s been an absolute dream, and my co-creator, Jeremy Beiler, and I are so grateful to the entire creative team we feel so lucky to work with.”
The series takes its inspiration from Bayer’s own travails, overcoming childhood leukemia. Except in this story, she plays Joanna Gold, who dreams of becoming a host at a home-shopping channel. Shannon plays the star of that channel. Rounding out the cast: Paul James (Soundtrack) as Jordan, a charming but dry stage manager; Ayden Mayeri (Homecoming) as Beth Ann, an ambitious insecure host; Matthew Rogers (Haute Dog) as Darcy, the ingratiating right-hand man to the CEO; and Emmy nominee Punam Patel (Special) as Beena, an offbeat backstage producer.
“Vanessa Bayer channels her beloved personality into an underdog part that is both close to her heart and universally relatable,” said Jana Winograde, one of Showtime Networks’ presidents. “Combined with the immense talents of executive producers Jeremy Beiler, Jessi Klein and Michael Showalter and a tremendous cast, Vanessa’s comedic brilliance as a performer, co-creator and executive producer have yielded an offbeat, emotional and laugh-out-loud series that we can’t wait to bring to our SHOWTIME audiences.”
