If the news that Lauren Graham was joining the cast of NBC’s Parenthood wasn’t exciting enough, now comes word that Gilmore Girls creator Amy Sherman-Palladino will write and exec produce a drama for HBO. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the untitled project follows the “complicated relationship between three adult sisters, all writers sharing the same upper east side apartment building, and their mother, a domineering literary lioness who reserves most of her affections for their ne’er-do-well brother.” If we forget all about Sherman-Palladino’s short-lived Fox sitcom The Return of Jezebel James (of which, FYI, you can catch unaired eps on Hulu), we can just focus on how awesome this sounds: Three adult sisters who are writers and have a rocky relationship with their literary lioness mother? It’s like we’ve died and gone to dialogue heaven, where all the angels are articulate and speak quickly with pop culture references and, god willing since it’s cable, the occasional F bomb for comedic emphasis.
Were I an actress, I’d be having my agent call Sherman-Palladino’s people begging for a meeting. Who’s your dream cast? (In my fantasy world, where contracts with other shows don’t exist, I’d go with Lauren Graham, Rachel Griffiths, and Carla Gugino as the siblings. I fear we’ll need to skew younger and go for “movie stars” like Claire Danes….)
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Yay! Lauren and ASP back with TV projects!
Oh, first comment, btw. First time I’ve ever gotten to say that!
There are plenty of completely boring posts on this “blog” with no comments at all, where you can be first all you want.
I’m really happy about Lauren Graham on Parenthood. However, I haven’t fully forgiven Amy Sherman-Palladino for writing Luke and Lorelai so out of character in season six (the show’s worst season) and then leaving someone else to clean up the mess.
Couldn’t agree more, Morgan. The horror of the addition of April as well…arrrgh. No offence to the actress that got stuck playing that role but it really was the wrong way to go, as well as lame, if trying to find something to create tension between Lorelai and Luke.
I thought that season 6 was the best — the way the story developed was fascinating. The writers just kept raising the bar with that show, right up until it all came to a screeching halt at the beginnning of season 7. I wish I could’ve seen what else Amy Sherman-Palladino had in store after that.
I so totally agree as well! I know that ASP said that she couldn’t find the “drama” and stories with Luke and Lorelai together and happy, but watching what Modern Family has done with “happily” married couples shows the potential for good stories with couples that are together. I don’t understand why ASP couldn’t have found stories to tell with Luke and Lorelai together.
I am happy about Lauren Graham on Parenthood, though!
Don’t forget -Season 6’s missteps were not Amy Sherman Palladino’s fault; she stopping writing and producing the show after Season 5.
Well that explains a lot!
I’m not over it yet either, much of the last 2 seasons were so bad, right from the moment they got engaged and didn’t hug like normal people to the whole Chris mess that was season 7. I don’t know if I’d was another show Amy made.
I will however be watching Parenthood and Lauren, bring on 2010!
Not true, ASM was fired AFTER season 6. Season 5 and April are all hers!
I know.. I loved season 5.. everyone asks why and all i can say is i like to see her happy!! and yes season 6 was terrible !! and season 7 which by the way i h8ed coz well who doesnt h8 Chris
Sooo excited that ASP is doing an HBO. I love to see extremely talented writers head to cable, where you know their vision will be respected and have time to play out. As for Parenthood, we all know NBC will cancel it about 3 weeks in, so maybe Lauren Graham can join this show afterwards.
ASP’s new show sounds like a bit like a modern Bronte family. Three sisters (who are writers) and a “ne’er-do-well brother” who gets all of his mother’s affection? Yep…totally Bronte. And I’m totally diggin’ it. Can’t wait for this one!
This is EXACTLY what I thought. And I love the Brontes, so I’m in.
Great news for both these ladies.
But Mandi, what about casting for the mother and brother roles? My first thought for lioness Mom would have been Susan Sullivan…pity she is already doing duty on Castle.
Other thoughts: Carrie Fisher; Glenn Close (she could do with something new and lighter to get her teeth into away from her Damages role and she can bring the arch and the funny). Then again, Carrie would make a wonderful recurring guest star as the head of the literary agency that reps one or several of the sisters.
And you could get a fifteen-twenty year sibling age-range allowing the youngest sister to be in the Claire Danes-ish mode in there, along with your suggestions – easy. How about someone like Julia Stiles?
As for the ne’er do well bro?How ’bout James Callis?
Ooh, I can’t believe I forgot this idea for the Mom role: Kelly Bishop. Awesome, if I say so myself.
ASP kicked Gilmore fans in the gut and walked away. We will never forgive her. (Lauren Graham–still flawless.)
Well, I definitely will NOT be watching Parenthood now. I was excited when Maura Tierney was involved, even more excited when Helen Hunt was thinking about taking the role, and now totally bummed about Lauren Graham. I’ve never understood her appeal.
Tired of the ASP hate. I am very much looking forward to this!
Oh, as for the awesome set of siblings: Lauren Graham, Marcia Gay Harden and…guh, there’s another actress who looks like them whos’ at the tip of my tongue. This is going to bug me. But, anyhoo, wishful thinking.
Liza Weil, Amy Sedaris, and Carrie Preston as the sisters. Christina Pickles as the mom.
I like the idea of Amy Sedaris and Carrie Preston playing sisters because they are both funny as hell!
I still think Amy to write a movie based on Dorothy Parker’s life and Lauren to play the lead.
It’s TV, people. Writers frack up their shows sometimes. But that doesn’t mean they deserve to be punished for the rest of their career, just ’cause you don’t like where they took the storyline of two characters.
ASP is a talented woman, and if the show is great, I’m there.
Since she made David Sutcliffe the punching bag of Gilmore Girls, he deserves a shot, though I have a feeling she’d cast him as the ne’er do well brother.
Yeah, if David Sutcliffe could act, he might deserve a shot.
sabrina lloyd would be fantastic in this. just sayin’.
Liza Veil would be good choice Lauren Graham? please noooo
omgg i love lauren graham and i am soooo happy the she is coming bach to t.v..i am only going to watch parenthood because lauren in going to be in it…i am also a very big gilmore girls fan only because lauren is in it she is the best there is…I LOVE LAUREN GRAHAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!<3