Nickelodeon has picked up “The Troop,” a new comedy series from veteran producer Tommy Lynch.
The show, which has received a 26-episode order, is part of the cable network’s stepped-up efforts to expand its live-action offerings. An action adventure with sci-fi elements and CG animation, “Troop” revolves around three high school students who battle monsters after school.
“With ‘Troop,’ I think I’ve finally found a show where people would laugh and scream and have their heart racing — all on the same show,” Lynch said.
To beef up the series’ comedic quotient, Lynch has tapped Emmy-winning comedy writer Jay Kogen (“Frasier”) to run it.
“Troop,” filming in Vancouver for a fall premiere, follows Jake (Nick Purcell), a typical teenager struggling through adolescence who dreams of creating his own comic book. When his school counselor (John Marshall Jones) recruits him into the Troop — a secret society that protects the world from the monsters that walk among us — Jake suddenly discovers a whole new existence. He teams with the smart, athletic and popular Hayley (Gage Golightly) and annoying paranormal expert Felix (David Del Rio) to take on monster missions.
“Troop” was created by Greg Coolidge (“Employee of the Month”), Chris Morgan (“Fast & Furious”) and Max Burnett (“Possums”) and is exec produced by Lynch through his Tom Lynch Co. and Kogen.
Special effects house Artifex Studios will work on the series’ CG components.
Lynch has a long-standing relationship with Nickelodeon, having produced such series as “Romeo!” and “South of Nowhere.” He also is behind the untitled live-action surfing pilot the network greenlighted last month. (partialdiff)
