NBC Orders Comedies From Tina Fey, Marlon Wayans

UPDATED: NBC has ordered Marlon, a comedy loosely inspired by the life of Marlon Wayans. The network calls it an “update to the classic family comedy,” about an immature father committed to co-parenting his kids with his buttoned up ex-wife. The cast includes Wayans, Essence Atkins and Amir O’Neil.

Marlon is produced by Universal Television, Wayans Brothers Entertainment, Bicycle Path Productions and 3 Arts Entertainment. Christopher Moynihan is the writer and executive producer. Wayans, Rick Alvarez, Michael Rotenberg and director Andy Ackerman (pilot) also executive produce. 

Related: Upfronts 2016: Arrivals and Departures Leave Network Schedules Up in the Air

The comedy Great News comes from Tina Fey, Robert Carlock and the producers of 30 Rock and centers on an up-and-coming local news producer whose overbearing mother has rejoined the workforce as an intern at the station where her daughter works. The cast includes Briga Heelan, Andrea Martin and Horatio Sanz.

Great News is produced by Universal Television, Little Stranger and 3 Arts Entertainment. Tracey Wigfield is the writer and executive producer. Fey, Carlock and David Miner executive produce and Beth McCarthy-Miller directs.

On to drama, Midnight, Texas comes from Universal Television and David Janollari Entertainment. NBC describes Midnight as “a place where being normal is really quite strange,” a town populated by vampires, witches, psychics and hit men.

The series comes from Mr. Robot director Niels Arden Oplev and is based on the book series from Charlaine Harris. Monica Owusu-Breen is the writer and executive producer. Janollari and Oplev also executive produce.

Time-travel adventure series Timeless comes from Eric Kripke, Shawn Ryan and the producers of The Blacklist. A mysterious criminal steals a secret time machine, intent on destroying America by changing the past. John Davis, John Fox, Marney Hochman and director Neil Marshall also executive produce.

Timeless is produced by Davis Entertainment, Kripke Enterprises and MiddKid Productions in association with Sony Pictures Television.

NBC previously announced the drama/comedy This is Us with Mandy Moore and drama Chicago Justice. More announcements will come at NBC’s upfront presentation May 16.

Michael Malone

Michael Malone, senior content producer at B+C/Multichannel News, covers network programming, including entertainment, news and sports on broadcast, cable and streaming; and local broadcast television. He hosts the podcasts Busted Pilot, about what’s new in television, and Series Business, a chat with the creator of a new program, and writes the column “The Watchman.” He joined B+C in 2005. His journalism has also appeared in The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Playboy and New York magazine.