Apple TV+ is diving into the messy, hilarious world of second acts with a new half-hour comedy from Will Trent co-creator Liz Heldens. The streamer has officially greenlit the untitled series, with Elizabeth Banks attached to star and executive produce. Production is slated to begin later this year.
The series follows a newly-divorced mother (Banks) who is eager to reboot her life. But her fresh start quickly becomes complicated when she discovers her elderly father has retired to a seniors' community with an extremely active social life—so active, in fact, that she ends up coordinating his 'sex dates.' This bizarre duty throws her into an unexpected partnership with the perpetually single son of her dad's girlfriend.
Heldens, who co-created ABC's hit crime drama Will Trent, will serve as showrunner and executive producer alongside Matt Ward (Madam Secretary). The project marks another step in Apple TV+'s growing comedy slate, which has expanded well beyond its flagship Ted Lasso to include hits like Platonic, Shrinking, and last year's awards darling The Studio.
Banks has been keeping busy across genres. She recently took a dramatic turn in the medical thriller A Mistake and starred in the black comedy Skincare, which she also executive-produced. She also appeared opposite Jessica Biel in Prime Video's thriller miniseries The Better Sister. Currently, she can be seen in Peacock's sci-fi rom-com The Miniature Wife, playing a woman whose marriage gets even more complicated after her scientist husband shrinks her to action-figure size. Later this year, she'll play herself in David Wain's comedy Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass and star alongside John C. Reilly in the sci-fi thriller DreamQuil. She also hosts ABC's game show Press Your Luck.
In addition to Banks, the series will be executive-produced by Max Handelman and Krissy Wall via Brownstone Productions. Jonathan Krisel (English Teacher) will direct the pilot and executive-produce. Quinn Haberman will executive-produce alongside Heldens for Selfish Mermaid, while Jason Winer and Jon Radler will executive-produce for Small Dog Picture Company. The series is a production of 20th Television.
Apple TV+ has been steadily building its comedy roster, balancing its reputation for cerebral sci-fi like Severance and the epic Foundation with lighter fare. The streamer's recent success with character-driven comedies suggests this new series could find a strong audience. Meanwhile, Will Trent continues to stream on Hulu, and fans of Heldens' storytelling can look forward to this fresh, family-centric comedy.
No release date has been announced yet, but with production starting this year, we can expect more details soon. Stay tuned for updates on this promising addition to Apple TV+'s lineup.
