TruTV is continuing with their push into scripted comedy. The Turner owned cable network has handed out a 13 episode second season renewal to Those Who Can’t, their first original scripted comedy, some three months before it is set to premiere, TVWise has learned.
Originally picked up to series back in March, Those Who Can’t is set in Denver and follows three dysfunctional high school teachers – played by Cayton-Holland, Andrew Orvedahl and Ben Roy – who are about as screwed-up as the kids they teach. Cayton-Holland, Orvedahl and Roy created the Thank You, Brain! Productions produced comedy series and serve as executive producers. The show’s first season premieres February 11th.
Alongside renewing Those Who Can’t, TruTV has inked a first-look deal with the series’ showrunner Dean Lorey and picked up his comedy Shady Neighbors to pilot. Said comedy, follows Tom and Wendy, a seemingly happy suburban couple who have let financial pressures drive them to the brink of divorce. But when they discover they’re too broke to split into two families, they turn to crime to finance their breakup.
Lorey is penning the script for the pilot and will serve as an executive producer alongside Tom Lassally and Jonathan Berry of 3 Arts Entertainment. Thank You, Brain! Productions is attached to produce. “We love Those Who Can’t so much we literally couldn’t wait to make more,” said Chris Linn, President of TruTV. “Working with Dean has been an incredible experience, and we look forward to developing new projects with him as we continue to take truTV further into the scripted arena.”
The network has also put a further two scripted comedies into development; inking a pilot deal with comedian Tom Segura for an untitled medical comedy, and ordering a pilot script for a dark comedy about an amateur vigilante squad tackling life’s daily injustices from Melissa Hunter. Oly Obst and Josh Lieberman from 3 Arts will serve as executive producers alongside Segure on the medical comedy.
