In a very competitive situation, ABC has nabbed Dream Team, a half-hour project from top comedy writers Kari Lizer and Bill Wrubel, reuniting a decade after working together on Will & Grace. The single-camera comedy from Warner Bros TV, where both Lizer and Wrubel are under deals, has received a pilot production commitment.
Written/executive produced by Lizer and Wrubel, Dream Team centers on Coach Marty Schumacher, who knows how to win in the world of girls’ club soccer. His last team went to the national championship, and those women are off playing in college, semipro, even the Olympic team. Now Coach Schumacher, who is known as “the star maker” (mostly by himself), has a documentary crew following him around as he assembles his next dynasty from a diverse group of little girls that bring along their diverse families. The project draws on personal experiences by Lizer, who — like so many others — is a soccer mom on the weekends. Lizer and Wrubel’s respective banners, Kari’s Logo Here and Here Comes Scrappy, produce in association with Warner Bros Television.
As the home of Modern Family, ABC — which has been looking for a successor to the Emmy-winning family comedy — would be a suitable home for Dream Team as the project shares some DNA with ABC’s flagship. In addition to the mocumentary style, Wrubel was a key writer-producer on the first five seasons of Modern Family, joining as a co-executive producer after the pilot and serving as an executive producer three seasons, sharing in the show’s five consecutive Emmys for Outstanding Comedy Series.
Both Wrubel and Lizer have a history with ABC. In addition to Modern Family, Wrubel previously worked on the network’s dramedy Ugly Betty, and Lizer created the 2012 comedy pilot The Unprofessional. Lizer is repped by Vision Art Management’s Scott Schwartz; Wrubel is with CAA.
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