EXCLUSIVE: CBS has developed jump start, a multi-camera comedy based on Robb Armstrong’s long-running comic. Wayne Conley (The best man) will pen the TV adaptation, which comes from Kapital Entertainment and Aaron Kaplan’s CBS Studios.
Based on the popular comic that debuted in 1989, jump start is set in Philadelphia and follows Joe, a cop, his wife Marcy, a nurse, and Joe’s partner, Crunchy. Joe and Marcy are hip, young, urban parents with old-school values who are willing to sacrifice themselves for their kids and have a laugh while doing it!
Conley executive produces with Kaplan and Melanie Frankel of Kapital Entertainment and Armstrong producer Bridget McMeel, who brought the property to Hollywood, for Andrews McMeel Entertainment. Armstrong co-executive produces. Jessie Abbott is the creative director of Kapital.
Kapital has previously teamed up with Armstrong and McMeel to adapt jump start for television in 2014 when the project, a single-camera comedy with a different writer, was set up at Fox. It’s the latest show idea that Kapital is revisiting years after its original development. The list includes women of the movementwhich became a limited series at ABC after originally premiering at HBO to be developed with another writer, and Justin Spitzer american car, currently a second series at NBC where it was originally developed in 2013.
Armstrong, one of the few unionized black cartoonists in the United States, founded the jump start undress on his own experiences. “Almost every married couple I know is like Joe and Marcy, my main characters,” he said in a 1996 interview. “The image of young black people is so biased, so fake. I don’t know anyone who carjacks, plays basketball, raps. Joe and Marcy and the characters I developed are deep and based on real life.
Initially carried by 40 newspapers, jump start gained popularity to appear in over 400 publications, including the Los Angeles Times, New York Daily News, Philadelphia Inquirer, and Boston Globe.
Conley is co-executive producer of the limited series Peacock The best man. Her series credits also include dramas Queen Sugar, Delilah and Green leaf and comedy Famous White. Conley has deep roots in sketch comedy, with writing credits on shows such as All that and Kenan and Kel. He has written several films including The King’s Ransom and Our family wedding. Conley is replaced by APA, Brad Kaplan at Link Entertainment and Rob Szymanski at Eclipse Law.
Andrews McMeel Entertainment is the entertainment division of Andrews McMeel Universal, the world’s largest independent syndicate, distributing content to more than 2,500 US and 400 international media outlets. Comics, Chronicles and Puzzles AMU syndicates include The Far Side, Peanuts, Calvin and Hobbes, Dear Abby, Miss Manners and Universal Crossword.
At CBS, Kapital hit a multi-camera comedy series The neighborhoodwhich is entering its fifth season.