Acclaimed Actress Kathryn Hahn to Star in Showtime's HAPPYISH

Acclaimed actress Kathryn Hahn (Revolutionary Road, We're The Millers) will star in the female lead role of "Lee Payne" in the Showtime comedy pilot HAPPYISH. The new half-hour pilot will be filmed in New York next month, with Oscar® and Golden Globe® nominee Steve Coogan (Philomena, Alan Partridge) previously announced as the male lead. HAPPYISH is a comedic, soul-searching examination of our pursuit of happiness, a pursuit that might just be the very thing causing our unhappiness in the first place.

Kathryn Hahn will play the role of Lee, Thom Payne's (Coogan) wife and mother to their six-year-old son Julius. Honest and direct to a considerable fault, Lee believes that people are good and the world can be a better place, which is probably why she is so pissed off: because we aren't, and it can't. But she loves Thom, and Thom loves her, even though they both loathe themselves. Hahn originally filmed the role of Lee Payne for the Happyish pilot in 2013 opposite the late Philip Seymour Hoffman. Her television credits include Parks and Recreation, Transparent, Girls, Hung, The Newsroom and Crossing Jordan. Her feature film credits include Revolutionary Road, Step Brothers, Afternoon Delight, Bad Words, We're The Millers, Wanderlust, The Holiday, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, and the upcoming films The Visit, She's Funny That Way and Tomorrowland.

HAPPYISH was created, written and executive produced by critically acclaimed author and regular This American Life contributor Shalom Auslander. Emmy® Award nominee Ken Kwapis (He's Just Not That Into You, A Walk In The Woods) will executive produce and direct the pilot. Kwapis' producing partner Alexandra Beattie will co-executive produce, under their In Cahoots banner.

"Lee is fierce while funny, defiant while vulnerable; no one can pull that off as deftly, subtly and sincerely as Kathryn Hahn," said Auslander. "We're very lucky to have her. We meaning Earth."

Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of CBS Corporation, owns and operates the premium television networks SHOWTIME®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ and FLIX®, as well as the multiplex channels Showtime 2™, SHOWTIME® SHOWCASE, Showtime EXTREME®, Showtime BEYOND®, Showtime NEXT®, Showtime WOMEN®, Showtime FAMILY ZONE® and THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ XTRA. SNI also offers Showtime HD™, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ HD, Showtime ON DEMAND®, FLIX ON DEMAND® and THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ ON DEMAND, and the network's authentication service Showtime ANYTIME®. SNI also manages Smithsonian Networks™, a joint venture between SNI and the Smithsonian Institution, which offers Smithsonian Channel™. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a Pay-Per-View basis through Showtime PPV®.

Photo: Brian Higbee

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