Rhea's 'Plan B' is Plan A for ABC

[Brian]

After hosting her own talk show for the past season, Caroline Rhea is ready to move back into primetime comedy. It may not be her top choice, but it's still a perfectly fine "Plan B."
ABC had given a script commitment to "Plan B," a comedy from Universal Network TV. Rhea is developing the project with Joshua Sternin and Jeffrey Ventimilia ("That 70s Show," "The Grubbs"). The project will star Rhea as a thirtysomething single woman dealing with romance, her career, her mother and a weight problem.

"I think it's a good story to tell," Rhea tells The Hollywood Reporter. "When you're in your 30s, the stakes are high. You thought your life was going to go a certain way, and when it didn't turn out that way, what is your Plan B?"


Rhea emphasizes that while parts of this peppy premise are based on her own life, the series won't be autobiographical.
A veteran of the stand-up circuit, Rhea co-starred on "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch," which ran on ABC and later The WB until 2002. In addition to overseeing "The Caroline Rhea Show," the actress has appeared on "The Nanny" and "The Drew Carey Show."

"Caroline Rhea is that rare performer who truly is ready and able to be the driving force for a sitcom," says Universal TV President David Kissinger. "She has the warmth, smarts and accessibility to be a big sitcom star."