FX is officially back in business with Denis Leary, placing a 10-episode order for the comedy series Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll, it was announced today by Eric Schrier and Nick Grad, the Presidents of Original Programming for FX Networks and FX Productions. Created by and starring Leary, Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll is produced by FX Productions and FOX Television Studios, and will premiere on FX in 2015.
"It's great to be back in business with
Denis Leary, Jim Serpico and Tom Sellitti, and we're thrilled to start on a new project that is both unique and hilarious," said Schrier. "
Johnny Rock is the role that
Denis Leary was born to play."
"I am extremely elated at the opportunity to once again be working with John Landgraf and the fine executive talent over at FX," said Leary. "They have a great platform for comedy, an award-winning marketing team and an amazing new Nespresso machine in the conference room. The Gran Maestria C520 Platinum? Get this: it heats the cup! Also, doing this show with
FX will allow me to live one of my last show-business dreams: Emmy-winner Peter Tolan will be playing my gay stepdad. I know what you're thinking - isn't Peter just a few years older than Denis? In fact, we are the same exact age. I'm just prettier."
Said
FOX Television Studios President
David Madden, "We have been honored by long-standing collaborations with both
FX and Apostle, so it's gratifying for us to be able to break new ground with them both. Our partnership with Denis and Apostle has been one of our most fruitful ventures, and this time out fans will definitely see a different Denis. As both actor and writer, Denis plunges into dazzlingly original arenas of dark comedy and, along with a stellar veteran cast, the results are just really funny."
Starring Leary,
John Corbett,
Elizabeth Gillies,
Elaine Hendrix and Bobby Kelly, SDRR is centered on "
Johnny Rock" (Leary), a middle-aged rock 'n roller who desperately wanted to be rich and famous. So far, he's 0 for 2. As the magnificently talented lead singer of New York's legendary early 90's band The Heathens, Johnny was on his way to the cover of Rolling Stone magazine. His best friend "Flash" (Corbett) was being called the next number one lead guitar player on planet earth. The critics loved them. Their live shows were selling out.
But Johnny had a problem with booze. And coke. And weed. And pills. And cough medicine. And oh yeah - he slept with Flash's wife. And his bass player's fiancé. The band broke up the same day their first and only record was released. 25 years later Johnny is trying to get the band back together. Why? Because as his soon-to-be-ex manager Ira Feinbaum tells him: "Johnny, you're 50, broke and completely anonymous. In rock 'n roll you know what that makes you? A bartender." 25 years later the sex might be harder to find, the drugs might be Luvox and Crestor and Cialis - but rock 'n roll will never die. It just has a bigger prostate.
The Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll pilot was written by Leary and directed by Michael Blieden. Leary, his company Apostle and partner Jim Serpico are Executive Producers. It is produced by
FX Productions and
FOX Television Studios. It will be filmed on location in New York City. The show will feature original music and occasional guest appearances by actual rock stars.
Leary starred in the award-winning, acclaimed
FX drama Rescue Me, which he co-created and served as Executive Producer/Writer of the series that ran for seven seasons and 93 episodes. Serpico served as Executive Producer of Rescue Me. Leary, Serpico and Apostle are currently in production on the upcoming
USA series, Sirens, and they produce the
IFC comedy Maron, starring Marc Maron. Both Sirens and
Maron also are produced by
FOX Television Studios.
FX Networks features 10 comedy series across
FX and FXX. In addition to Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll,
FX televises the Emmy(R), AFI, TCA and Peabody award-winning Louie, the award-winning animated comedy Archer, new scripted comedies
Married and You're the Worst debuting on July 17, and The Comedians starring
Billy Crystal and
Josh Gad launching next spring. The
FXX comedy roster includes the acclaimed hit series It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The League, Wilfred, The Untitled
Tracy Morgan Project, and Ali G: Rezurection.
Leary is represented by WME and Ziffren, Brittenham, Branca, Fischer, Gilbert-Lurie, Stiffelman, Cook, Johnson, Lande & Wolf.
About FX
FX is the flagship general entertainment basic cable channel of
FX Networks, a business unit of
FOX Networks Group.
FX Networks is comprised of FX, FXM and FXX, its newest channel, which debuted on September 2, 2013. Launched in June of 1994,
FX is carried in more than 97 million homes. The diverse schedule features a growing roster of critically-acclaimed and award-winning hit dramas series, including Sons of Anarchy, Justified, The Americans and The Bridge; the upcoming dramas
Tyrant and The Strain; the miniseries American Horror Story; the critically-acclaimed limited series Fargo; the acclaimed hit comedy series
Louie and Archer; and scripted comedies
Married and You're The Worst both launching July of '14. The network's library of acquired box-office hit movies is unmatched by any ad-supported television network. FX's roster of acquired hit series includes Two and a Half Men,
Anger Management and, coming in 2014, Mike & Molly.
About
FX Productions
FX Productions (FXP) produces the critically acclaimed hit comedy series It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The League, Louie, Archer and Wilfred; the upcoming comedies Married, You're the Worst and The Untitled
Tracy Morgan Project; and the upcoming drama series The Strain. FXP co-produces the award-winning hit dramas Sons of Anarchy, Justified, The Americans and The Bridge; the upcoming drama Tyrant; and the critically acclaimed limited series Fargo.
About
FOX Television Studios
Fox Television Studios produces scripted and unscripted programming for US broadcast and cable networks, and international broadcasters. Series include Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll, created by and starring
Denis Leary, The Americans, starring
Keri Russell and
Matthew Rhys, and The Comedians, executive-produced by and starring
Billy Crystal, alongside
Josh Gad, for FX; White Collar, Graceland, Sirens and the upcoming Complications, all for USA; The Killing, whose fourth season will be available on August 1, 2014 exclusively on Netflix; and the half-hour comedy, Maron, for IFC, in its second season.
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