Comedy Central is going big time! The network has greenlit 10 episodes of the weekly, half-hour scripted series, "Big Time in Hollywood, FL," it was announced today by Kent Alterman, President, Content Development and Original Programming, Comedy Central.
Produced by Red Hour and Brillstein Entertainment Partners, "Big Time in Hollywood, FL," is executive produced and written by
Alex Anfanger and Dan Schimpf, along with Red Hour's
Ben Stiller, Debbie Liebling, Stuart Cornfeld and Mike Rosenstein, and Brillstein Entertainment Partners' Lee Kernis and
Brian Stern. Anfanger will also star in the series, along with Lenny Jacobson,
Kathy Baker,
Stephen Tobolowsky and
Jon Bass. Schimpf directed the pilot.
"Ben, Alex and Dan have fulfilled my career-long dream of having a show based in Hollywood, FL," said Alterman.
"'Big Time' combines the directorial style of Hitchcock, the acting prowess of Streep, the budget of House of Payne, and the nutritional value of Velveeta. I think people's minds will be blown wide open. For real," said Stiller.
"Big Time in Hollywood, FL" follows two delusional brothers and self-proclaimed filmmakers, played by Anfanger and Jacobson, who are kicked out of their parents' house and forced to fend for themselves for the first time in their lives, leading them on an epic journey in pursuit of their American dream. Baker and Tobolowsky will co-star as the brothers' parents. Monika Zielinska and Adam Londy are the Executives in Charge of Production for Comedy Central.
Anfanger and Schimpf, both NYU Tisch Arts 2008 graduates, met when they were randomly paired as roommates in their freshman year and immediately started collaborating on comedic shorts. After graduating, they stumbled upon a scripted
Reality Show they found "overwhelmingly pointless," and decided to write a show starring a vapid character in a high stakes world without limits. This became their hit web series "Next Time on Lonny," which is soon to release its second season, produced by Red Hour and Maker Studios. Anfanger also appears in the feature film "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty," directed by and starring
Ben Stiller at Fox.
Anfanger and Schimpf are represented by Brillstein Entertainment Partners and attorney Lev Ginsburg.
About Red Hour
Founded by
Ben Stiller and Stuart Cornfeld, Red Hour is a
Production Company dedicated to discovering new writers and filmmakers while developing projects with a mainstream sensibility across multiple media platforms.
Red Hour Films most recently produced "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" which Stiller directed and stars in alongside
Kristen Wiig,
Shirley MacLaine, and
Sean Penn. The film is currently in theaters now.
Red Hour's film credits include "Zoolander," "Dodgeball," "Starsky and Hutch," "Blades of Glory," "The Big Year," "30 Minutes or Less," "Submarine," "Megamind," and "Tropic Thunder".
In 2012, veteran executive, Debbie Liebling joined Red Hour to head the company's newest division, Red Hour Television. Red Hour Television has also sold eight scripts to networks and currently has two projects in development for HBO. Under her direction, the company has three series ordered. Upcoming, the company is set to begin production on the new
Comedy Central series, "The
Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail", which is based on the live Los Angeles stand-up show "The Meltdown" and will feature a notable line-up of comedic talents.
And on the even smaller screen, Red Hour has a Digital arm run by Mike Rosenstein, with a first look deal at Paramount's Insurge Pictures, RHD develops and produces comedy projects for digital distribution. Three seasons of the wildly successful and Emmy nominated Bachelor-parody, "Burning Love" can currently be found on BurningLove.com, iTunes and airing on
E! Television. Upcoming projects include a "Zoolander" animated web series and the second season of "Next Time On Lonny".
About Comedy Central
Available on-air, online and on-the-go,
Comedy Central (www.cc.com) is the #1 brand in comedy and is owned by, and is a registered trademark of, Comedy Partners, a wholly-owned unit of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA and VIAB).
