Arizona Cardinals Star Sets Football Family Comedy at CBS

CBS is looking to the NFL for its next family comedy.

The network is teaming with Arizona Cardinals’ starting defensive end Calais Campbell to develop The Whole Nine, which is inspired by his own life, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.

The multicamera comedy centers on a pro football player who moves into a gated community and is surprised when his overbearing family shows up on his doorstep wanting to move in. The NFL is not involved.

Chris Case (who penned last season’s NFL Fox family comedy pilot Havoc) will serve as a co-writer alongside newcomers Derek Elliot and Jack Donaldson. The comedy hails from CBS Television Studios, where fellow executive producers Eric and Kim Tannenbaum are under an overall deal. Doug Banker and Campbell also are on board as exec producers.

Related Stories

Related Story

'Pitch': Inside Fox and Major League Baseball's Unique Partnership

Campbell was picked in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft and played in a Super Bowl with the Cardinals as a rookie. Born in Denver, he has seven siblings: two sisters and five brothers. His Hollywood connection also includes a guest spot on FX fantasy sports comedy The League.

The Whole Nine comes as sports-themed scripted projects continue to be in demand on the small screen. Fox is teaming with MLB for freshman drama Pitch; Starz has found success with basketball-themed Survivor’s Remorse, produced by LeBron James; HBO is teaming with the NFL for Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson entry Ballers; and DirecTV/The Audience Network has found critical success with MMA entry Kingdom.

Case is repped by CAA, Management 360 and Morris Yorn.