Cheryl Dolins has been tapped as the new senior vice president of comedy programming and development at Fox Entertainment, replacing Julia Franz, who had held the post for three years.
The executive shuffle has been in the works for some time and is not related to Fox Entertainment CEO Charlie Collier’s surprise departure to Roku last week. Franz will remain at the company as a consultant on comedies “Animal Control” and “Welcome to Flatch” in a network and studio creative capacity, as well as stay on until the former wraps production next spring.
Based in Los Angeles and reporting to president Michael Thorn, Dolins will be responsible for overseeing the development and production of the company’s growing comedy slate, which includes the upcoming single-cam “Animal Control,” Fox’s first wholly-owned live-action comedy; “Welcome to Flatch,” from executive producers Jenny Bicks and Paul Feig and multi-cam comedy “Call Me Kat,” starring and executive produced by Mayim Bialik.
“Having worked with Cheryl on both the network and studio side throughout our careers, I’ve always been amazed by her ability to identify and shepherd an impressive array of premium comedies that have left their mark on the television landscape,” Thorn said in a statement. “I’m looking forward to once again working with her as we further build FOX Entertainment’s comedy portfolio.”
Franz joined Fox Entertainment in 2019, where she later developed “Call Me Kat” and former comedies “Pivoting” and “The Moodys.”
Thorn added, “Julia has been a central player for us during these important, foundational years of FOX Entertainment. The crucial groundwork she has laid will serve us well in the coming years; and having her onboard with ‘Animal Control’ and ‘Welcome to Flatch’ helps ensure our continued path to success.”
Most recently, Dolins was 20th Television’s SVP of comedy development from 2016 to 2020, where she crossed paths with and worked with Thorn. While there, she led the development of all studio comedies for streaming, broadcast and cable, including Hulu’s “Only Murders in the Building,” “The Wonder Years” and “Single Parents” for ABC and “Doogie Kamealoha, M.D.” and the upcoming “The Santa Clauses” for Disney+.
Prior to that role, she was the SVP of television development and production at Warner Bros. Television-based Alloy Entertainment, responsible for all development and current programming, including “You,” The CW’s “The 100” and ABC Family’s “Pretty Little Liars.” From 2007 to 2013, she was President of Grand Central Entertainment.
The veteran executive has also served in numerous roles at NBC, including SVP of comedy development for NBC Entertainment, where she spearheaded all of the network’s comedies, including Emmy Award winners “The Office,” “30 Rock” and “My Name is Earl.” She began her career in production on the iconic comedies “Cheers” and “Frasier.”
Deadline first reported the news.
