Hulu Orders New Comedy Pilot from Exective Producers of "Atlanta" and "Severance"

Hulu has ordered a pilot from Severance producer Sean Clements and Atlanta's producer Paul Simms.

What's Happening:

• Hulu has ordered a comedy pilot from writer/executive producer Sean Clements (Severance) and executive producer Paul Simms (Atlanta, NewsRadio).
• The pilot, titled Lex, will come from 20th Television and follow the premise of a murder that was accidentally captured in the background of a Cameo video from a washed-up reality TV star.
• The logline revealed in Variety promises this premise, saying “When a disgraced former reality star accidentally films a murder in the background of a $20 Cameo video, he finds himself at the center of a global conspiracy — and on the run from powerful forces who want him dead. Using the skills he acquired navigating reality TV’s toxic social dynamics, Lex must fight to not get killed, to expose the truth, and most importantly… to get back on TV.”
• The comedy comes from Clements, who was a co-executive producer on Apple TV's Severance, and is also a writer on the upcoming film, The Dink, starring Jake Johnson and Mary Steenburgen. His past TV work has also included Workaholics, Unstable, Kevin Can F**k Himself, United We Fall, and many more.
• Simms is known for a number of highly acclaimed TV projects, including the creation of NewsRadio, as well as work on The Larry Sanders Show, Flight of the Conchords, and Girls. Lately, he has had a run of hits as an executive producer at FX, including What We Do In The Shadows and Atlanta.
• In 2023, Simms received the Herb Sargent Award for Comedy Excellence from the WGA East.
• There is no timeline for a debut of Lex, or potential series order for Hulu.

Who Gets The Big Room?

• With Paul Simms behind the new pilot, it already has the attention of some of us on the staff here at Laughing Place, as we love any and all things NewsRadio.
• That series, which aired from on NBC from March 21, 1995, to May 4, 1999 (and to this day via various syndication and streaming platforms) focused on the work lives of the staff of a New York City AM news radio station (WNYX) and starred Dave Foley, Phil Hartman, Stephen Root, Maura Tierney, Andy Dick, Khandi Alexander, Joe Rogan, and Vicki Lewis in a hilarious ensemble.
• While the subject of an AM news station itself seems mundane, the stories and plots throughout the series combined physical humor and visual gags with quick-witted dialogue and farcical storylines, which often involved satirical takes on historical events, news stories, and pop culture.
• It is largely cited as one of the best workplace comedies in TV history, and the fact that Simms created it and seems to be carrying over the same sensibility - though in the hands of others - with Lex at Hulu, we are already hoping for a series pickup from the pilot just based on the log line and those involved.