'Will & Grace' creators get ABC show
Network greenlights Kohan/Mutchnick sitcom
By MICHAEL SCHNEIDER

Let the post-strike pilot rush begin.

In a prelude to what's expected to be a madcap whirl of pickups after Presidents' Day, ABC has greenlit a multi-camera half-hour comedy pilot from "Will & Grace" creators David Kohan and Max Mutchnick.

Untitled project, which was written on spec before the writers' strike, comes from Warner Bros. TV (where Kohan and Mutchnick are based). The studio brought it out after the strike ended; ABC quickly climbed on board.

Laffer follows two best friends and business partners - one straight, one gay - whose relationship is tested when both wind up with serious significant others at the same time. The duo must balance their friendship and their romantic relationships.

Project could be loosely inspired by the longtime friendship between Kohan, who's straight, and Mutchnick, who's gay.

The untitled laffer is not related to Kohan and Mutchnick's comedy pilot last year at CBS; that show also revolved around the friendship and working partnership between a straight man and his gay best friend.

Kohan and Mutchnick's credits also include "Four Kings," "Twins" and "Good Morning Miami."

Sounds like something ABC needs to pursue perhaps as a pairing for Samantha Who if Miss/Guided does not go forward. If I were ABC, I'd also pair Cedric and Damon Waynes new comedies together on Tuesdays this fall.

I don't know how I'm going to feel about this show, it sounds like Will & Grace if Grace was a guy. Could work but right now I don't think many can see a difference yet.

How many times are these two going to do this same damn show? Their unsold pilot for CBS last year was the same thing, too. Let's face it, Kohan and Mutchnick are extremely subpar writers who struck paydirt with four talented (though hammy) actors with dynamic chemistry. When they didn't get such chemistry (as on "The Stones," "Good Morning, Miami," "Four Kings," "Twins," "Boston Common," etc.), there was no place for their shoddy writing to hide.

This sounds exactly like Will and Grace, only with two guys this time. Unless ABC is going for a gay friendly audience, I can't see them having much confidence in this. The only hope is if they place it right after Ugly Betty.

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Originally posted by WelcomeToK-VilleBlueBloodUndercover:
This sounds exactly like Will and Grace, only with two guys this time. Unless ABC is going for a gay friendly audience, I can't see them having much confidence in this. The only hope is if they place it right after Ugly Betty.

Considering how much the "gay friendly" audiance has grown now, I'm sure there will be many people sampling this show. Whether they will stay watching is another story, that depends on the quality of the show. This would have worked on NBC had they debuted it after Will & Grace.

I like this -- yes, it sounds like Will & Grace with Grace a guy, but with the right actors this could be a step towards more multi-cam sitcoms again. I think this needs to be paired with the right multi-cam comedy, and that not's Samantha Who (single-cam) -- it'll need to be a new comedy as well. I see the Cedric and Damon sitcoms composing one hour comedy block, and this comedy with another multi-cam composing another. Samantha Who and Jenna Elfman's Literary Superstar could pair off at midseason to form a third hour. I hope it goes through past the pilot stage.