NBC is betting big on real-life chemistry. Téa Leoni and Tim Daly, who tied the knot in July 2025 after meeting on the set of Madam Secretary, are headlining a new sitcom called Newlyweds. The series, co-created by Jamie Lee Curtis and Gail Lerner, puts a fresh spin on the classic opposites-attract formula, echoing the beloved '90s hit Dharma & Greg but with a midlife twist.
In Newlyweds, Leoni plays Jeanie, a free-spirited middle school teacher and single mother of two. Daly steps into the role of James, a buttoned-up philosophy professor. After a whirlwind courtship, they impulsively marry, only to discover that blending their established lives—complete with kids, exes, and quirky colleagues—is far from smooth sailing. The show promises plenty of laughs as they navigate their new reality.
For Leoni and Daly, the project is a welcome return to comedy. "We had a lot of fun on Madam Secretary and, I don't know, the world got darker and we wanted to get lighter," Leoni explained during NBCUniversal's Backlot Pass event. "We wanted to spend our days together." Daly added, "We spent six years pretending to be married on TV, and now we get to do it again, but we actually are married."
The duo first crossed paths in 2014 while filming the political drama Madam Secretary, where Leoni starred as Secretary of State Elizabeth McCord and Daly played her husband, Henry. Their off-screen romance blossomed, and they eventually made it official. "Every time people said we had great chemistry, I was like, 'Yeah, no s---!'" Daly recalled to LifeMinute. "But the teamsters were picking us up at each other's house all the time, and we were looking at each other with goo-goo eyes."
Newlyweds isn't the first series to mine the humor of a spontaneous union. Dharma & Greg, which premiered in 1997 and ran for five seasons, followed a yoga instructor and a lawyer who married on their first date. Like that show, Newlyweds will explore the clash of personalities and the chaos of merging families. But as Daly told TV Insider, "They're of a certain age, so they have ways that they're set in. She has two crazy kids. I've got a crazy ex-wife. And there's James' assistant who hovers over and insinuates himself into their relationship."
Jamie Lee Curtis not only co-created the series but also appears as James's ex-wife, Claudia. The cast includes Ignacio Diaz-Silverio as Jeanie's son Lolo, Bill O'Neill, and Emma Meisel as her daughter Poppy. Gail Lerner, whose credits include Will & Grace, Black-ish, and Happy Endings, serves as showrunner and executive producer alongside Curtis.
Both leads have deep roots in sitcoms. Leoni starred in the '90s comedy The Naked Truth and recently appeared in Hulu's Only Murders in the Building. Daly got his big break on NBC's Wings and has since popped up in The Mindy Project and Leanne. Their combined comedic pedigree suggests Newlyweds could become a staple of NBC's expanding comedy lineup, which already includes St. Denis Medical and The Fall and Rise of Reggie Jenkins.
Newlyweds premieres October 23 on NBC and will stream on Peacock the following day. It airs Fridays at 8:30 pm EST, right after Happy's Place. With its charming leads and familiar yet fresh premise, the series is poised to capture the hearts of viewers—much like the real-life love story at its center.
