Whether or not you’re a fan of Ryan Murphy’s work, you have to admit, the man knows how to branch out. When you compare Glee to American Horror Story to Nip/Tuck and even Popular, it’s evident that no two of his projects are all that much alike. He contributes to television with series that not only differ from each other, but also from other shows on TV. In this day and age of remakes and reboots, that’s certainly something worth noting. I say that not as someone who blindly loves everything Murphy has created (I could go on about my issues with Glee), but as someone who appreciates originality. And, ok, the fact that he could be putting The Book of Mormon’s Andrew Rannells on the small screen does boost my affection for the show runner at least a little bit.
According to Deadline, Ryan Murphy and Allison Adler have a project in the works that, assuming it gets a pilot order from NBC (it’s expected to), will likely star Rannells, who has signed a joint 20th Century Fox TV-NBC talent holding deal with the intention of playing one of the leads in the single camera comedy. Deadline describes the premise of the show as “a heartwarming comedy about a blended family of a gay couple and the woman who becomes a surrogate to help them start a family.”
Right now, it sounds as though the ducks are being lined up in anticipation of a pilot order, but the green light is still pending there. In the meantime, Rannells’ anticipated involvement will hopefully be a huge selling point for the project, playing a starring role in the Tony winning Broadway musical The Book of Mormon, by Trey Parker, Matt Stone and Robert Lopez. Rannells played the determined Mormon missionary Elder Kevin Price in the original Broadway cast. Not having seen the musical on Broadway, I have only the soundtrack and his performance at the Tony’s to go on, but he’s fantastic in both, both musically and comedically.
Check out the video below, which has him singing “I Believe” at the Tony’s.
Hopefully we’ll hear word that NBC is ready to move forward with this project and gives it a pilot order.
