Starz is developing a half-hour comedy about the lives of people who made it out of their tough neighborhoods and found success called “Survivor’s Remorse.”
It will develop the series with executive producers NBA player Lebron James and his Fenway Sports Group (FSG) partners Maverick Carter, Paul Wachter and Tom Werner (“Roseanne,” “That 70s Show”). Former “Glee” actor Mike O’ Malley, who was a consulting producer on Showtime’s “Shameless,” will executive produce and write.
“We are incredibly excited at Starz to work with such a deep bench of talented storytellers to develop ‘Survivor’s Remorse,’” said Starz’s CEO Chris Albrecht in a statement.
“Everyone involved brings something unique to the table – from Tom Werner’s legendary television success to LeBron’s extraordinary life experiences and point of view. We hope that ‘Survivor’s Remorse’ will bring the humor, pain and complexity of these characters to life in a way that is honest and compelling for audiences worldwide,” he continued.
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“Survivor’s Remorse” will follow characters Cam Calloway and Reggie Vaughn, who got out of their gritty Philadelphia neighborhood to achieve fame and fortune. But, they’re still tied to the family members and friends back home and often suffer from the guilt of having “made it.”
“When my business partners Tom Werner and Maverick Carter brought up the idea of creating a television series that would capture the story of what happens when you make it out, I jumped at the chance,” James said. “For Maverick and I even to be where we are right now, given where we came from, is kind of hard to believe. I felt like it was a story that needed to be told, and nobody can craft a story like Tom Werner. He has an incredible vision for television and I’m really excited to partner with him and the rest of our team.”
This will be the first half-hour comedy undertaken by Starz since Albrecht became CEO in 2010. The network’s previous comedies were “Head Case,” “Party Down” and “Gravity.”