Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein Is Being Turned Into A TV Show, And There Are Two Big Reasons Why I’m Not Freaking Out About It

In my family, the legendary Mel Brooks is a comedy god. Throughout my childhood, I was exposed to Spaceballs and his cameo in The Muppet Movie, only to move onto The Producers and History of the World: Part I in my teen years. And while none of those are landing on the 2025 TV schedule, a Brooks-based TV project has been announced in development for the future. This time, Young Frankenstein is getting the jolt, and believe it or not, I’m quite excited about this news.

FX’s Very Young Frankenstein Has A Smart Team Behind Its Inception

It’s been quite the news day at the time of this publication, as the rather unexpected The Social Network Part II was announced. Similar to that breaking news, Deadline had the key details to what’s being called Very Young Frankenstein; which apparently almost has a pilot order from FX. Initial details on this project are rather promising, thanks to the original picture’s director being involved with this crack team of comedy minds. According to the outlet, Brooks has given his blessing to the potential series, and is on board as an executive producer.

If that's not enough, he's joined by three vets of FX's What We Do in the Shadows: producers Stefani Robinson and Garrett Basch (with the former serving as writer and showrunner) as well as Taika Waititi set to direct the pilot... if a pilot is ordered.

Three key pillars are present in this announcement that have inspired my abby normal perspective, the first of which is Mel Brooks’ blessing and executive producing. The second is present in Robinson and Waititi’s involvement, as I’m still basking in What We Do in the Shadows’ perfect series finale after six showstopping seasons.

Throw in a couple of other minds that the Brooksfilm empire has trusted over time, and you’ve got a recipe that’s promising no matter the premise. That leads us to producer Kevin Salter, who is connected to another major reason I’m not fretting over Very Young Frankenstein.

Mel Brooks’ Movies Must Always Be Respected, But Never Sacred

If there was a flag for the Mel Brooks state of mind, it would carry the words that Blazing Saddles used to tease its sendup of westerns: “Never give a saga an even break.” As the writer/director himself rode the line between paying homage to/cleverly satirizing old Hollywood, his own work has never taken itself too seriously.

I mean, how many years have we been making “The Search for More Money” jokes before that first Spaceballs 2 tease? That upcoming picture is also being produced by Kevin Salter, who worked on one of the funniest Hulu series to date: History of the World: Part II.

Now when that project was announced, I was more nervous than I am now about a Mel Brooks movie being tainted by a subpar adaptation. (I personally blame Spaceballs: The Animated Series, but that’s a trauma for another therapy session.)

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I consider that 2023 limited series event the lynchpin to my rosy outlook on Very Young Frankenstein. I was shocked that the spirit of the original film carried over into a more modern context, and I got more belly laughs out of that hidden gem of a series than I expected. It shows that while Mel Brooks loves his cinematic children, he’s not afraid to let someone reinterpret them - for better or worse.

With a team who helped bring What We Do in the Shadows and History of the World: Part II to the screen, I couldn't be happier to give this new prequel a chance. And hopefully we'll all get to do just that, but it remains to be seen what the timeline will be if FX does indeed order a pilot. Should fate not side with Mel Brooks and his fellow creatives, then there's a chance this pilot might wind up falling into the same obscurity as the David Tennant legal dramedy Rex Is Not Your Lawyer. (Seriously, you should look that up.)

For now, let's keep ourselves prepared for any developments that may transpire in the future. Should Very Young Frankenstein get the go-ahead, we'll have to sing a celebratory round of "Puttin' on the Ritz," and I refuse to partake with fans who don't know the words. What would Mel think?