I’m a firm believer that Hank Azaria can make any TV show or movie better with his presence. He’s the reason movies like Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian and America’s Sweethearts are worth quoting (I can’t read or hear the word “junket” without thinking “hhhunket”). News that he’s been cast in an NBC pilot ups the value of that pilot substantially as far as I’m concerned.
According to Deadline, Azaria, known for many roles, including a few Simpsons characters’ voices (Moe, Chief Wiggum and Apu among them) has signed on to star in NBC’s single-camera comedy pilot Free Agents. Based on a U.K. series (same title), the comedy follows Alex and Helen, two PR execs coming out of separate long-term relationships and find themselves attracted to one another. Sounds like a pretty standard set-up for a romantic-comedy series.
Azaria is funny, charming and has proven to be very versatile as an actor. I’d love to see him in a starring role on television, so we’ll have to wait and see what becomes of this pilot. I’m also really curious to see who is cast to play Helen. Would it be ridiculous to hope for Lisa Kudrow? They shared an on-screen romance in Friends way back when and there was something decidedly adorable about the pairing.
