Epix Orders ‘iCon' Comedy From Larry Charles

"Curb Your Enthusiasm" producer will oversee development of script by Dan Lyons

By Alex Weprin -- Broadcasting & Cable, 3/16/2010 1:11:30 PM

Pay cabler Epix has ordered a new series from Media Rights Capital and Curb Your Enthusiasm producer Larry Charles. Charles will oversee the development of the script for the comedy, dubbed iCon, which will be written by Newsweek contributor and the author the Fake Steve Jobs blog Dan Lyons.

The series will tread familiar territory for Lyons, as it follows a fictional Silicon Valley CEO with a penchant for hunger and greed.

Epix has not announced when iCon will debut.

The channel, founded by film studios Lionsgate, MGM and Paramount, has struggled to find widespread carriage. Verizon Fios, Cox, Mediacom and Charter carry the premium channel, but that still leaves it far behind competitors HBO, Showtime and Starz in terms of household penetration.

"A comedy series by Larry Charles is the perfect complement to the original comedy specials being produced by Epix," said Mark Greenberg, president of Epix. "His incomparable sense of humor, along with Dan's insight will have hilarious results that we can't wait to see."

"Larry is the ideal candidate to bring this concept to television," said Joe Hipps, VP of production and creative affairs at MRC Television. "MRC is thrilled to be partnering with Epix to deliver what promises to be a smart, satirical and entertaining series."

"We are attempting to do nothing less than a modern Citizen Kane. A scabrous satire of Silicon Valley and its most famous citizen," said Charles. "We needed a bold environment to nurture such a vision. One that was free of pre-conceived ideas. And Epix made it clear they were that place. They asked us to make their home our home. And we have."