ABC is getting into the music business with a comedy project from Seinfeld writer Jennifer Crittenden and Scrubs scribe Gabrielle Allan.
The as-yet-untitled project would revolve around a “super cool” 1990s all-girl band who, after 20 years of bad blood, tries to reunite though they’re no longer girls and no longer cool.
The project is the first one the writing team pitched under their overall deal with ABC Studios.
Allan, whose credits also include the Christina Applegate comedy Jesse, said the duo was inspired to think about doing something related to the music business after reading the 2008 Sheila Weller book Girls Like Us: Carole King, Joni Mitchell, Carly Simon – And the Journey of a Generation and noted the project would focus on second chances for a band that was once on the cusp of making it big.
Related Stories
“Our way into that world, our main character is as a mom who was a rock star and part of this group, and now she’s driving her kids around. I feel like there’s a lot of frustrated rock stars driving their kids around, and the difference is that she’s actually a rock star,” she told The Hollywood Reporter.
Crittenden (Everybody Loves Raymond) noted that the project will focus on comedy over music, much in the same vein as Spinal Tap, and ’80s girl bands like The Go-Go’s and The Bangles helped inspire the project.
“We both loved Spinal Tap and The Go-Go’s and this is a way to meld those together; what would The Go-Go’s be like if they had a huge horrible break-up and then reunited 20 years later?” Crittenden told THR. “We’ve since adjusted it to be like four Gwen Stefani [characters].”
The project would revolve around the band of four women, their 20-year-old manager/production assistant on Two and a Half Men who happens to be the son of their former manager and a documentarian who, much like Spinal Tap, will also be seen on-screen.
While there will be musical elements to the project — the band will have had a taste of success with one hit, which Crittenden and Allan eye as a viral-type video – the potential series will focus on the struggling group landing new gigs at venues they would have turned their nose up at in the ’90s.
Crittenden and Allan will write and executive produce the project.
“We’re excited about what happens to a real dream when you have to walk away,” Crittenden said. “Now it’s 20 years later and they’re wearing Sketchers and mom jeans and they’re trying to pursue this dream.”
Crittenden and Allan are repped by UTA and Gendler & Kelly. The duo next have the Fox feature What’s Your Number? starring Chris Evans and Anna Faris, due out next month.
Email: Lesley.Goldberg@thr.com; Twitter: @Snoodit
RELATED:
More TV development news
