ABC Buys Bill Lawrence/Jason Belleville Firemen Comedy With Penalty

EXCLUSIVE: Inside a competitive situation between your two systems that transported Bill Lawrence’s comedy Scrubs, ABC and NBC, ABC has nabbed a brand new half-hour project from Lawrence and Canadian author Jason Belleville having a script commitment plus penalty. Belleville will write the multi-camera project in regards to a small-town volunteer fire department. Belleville, Lawrence and Shaun Ingold are executive creating, with Warner Bros. TV and Lawrence’s studio-based Doozer banner creating. This marks the very first U.S. gig for Belleville, that has a dual American/Canadian citizenship. In Canada, he most lately co-produced, executive created and went the only-camera comedy series Almost Heroes and formerly done hit Little Mosque Around the Prairie and Testees, that was licensed within the U.S. by Forex. Earlier this summer time, UTA-repped Belleville found La for a number of conferences and sitting lower with Lawrence and the development executive Shaun Ingold. The 3 hit them back and proceeded to developed the concept for that place of work comedy. This really is Lawrence’s third purchase within the first development season under his wealthy new deal at WBTV. He formerly arrived pilot production obligations at Fox, for any father-boy single-camera comedy which Lawrence will write, direct and executive produce, and also at CBS for any multi-camera place of work comedy which Lawrence is co-writing/executive creating with Greg Malins. Additionally to developing, ICM-repped Lawrence also continues as executive producer/showrunner on his ABC comedy series Cougar Town.