Gary Sanchez Productions and Debmar-Mercury have signed a deal to produce a news sitcom staring Jon Heder for Comedy Central, which has ordered an initial run of 10 episodes.
Produced by Gary Sanchez Productions, the production company led by Will Ferrell, Adam McKay and Chris Henchy, and distributed by Debmar-Mercury, the untitled, multi-camera sitcom for Comedy Central will star Heder as an out of work computer IT specialist who leaves the big city and returns to his small home town, where he moves back in with his parents and younger brother. Ferrell, McKay and Henchy will write and produce the series.
“Combining the creative genius of the Gary Sanchez gang with the brilliant business model established by Mort and Ira at Debmar-Mercury should ensure many, many great laughs in the years to come on Comedy Central,” said Michele Ganeless, President, Comedy Central.
Modeled after previous successful groundbreaking Tyler Perry sitcom ventures from Debmar-Mercury co-presidents Mort Marcus and Ira Bernstein, Comedy Central has initially ordered 10 episodes of the Heder sitcom and will then have the option to order an additional 90 episodes upon a successful first-season run. Debmar-Mercury would retain the rights to take the series into syndication after its run on Comedy Central. Prior to this deal, Debmar-Mercury had partnered with Comedy Central in 2003 to distribute the broadcast syndication rights to the series “South Park.”
