TBS Orders New Comedy with George Wendt from WILL & GRACE Creators

TBS has greenlit the workplace comedy Buzzy's, the latest series from David Kohan and Max Mutchnick, the Emmy(R)-winning creators of Will & Grace. Ashley Tisdale (High School Musical), Mike Castle (Family Trap), Lauren Lapkus (Orange Is the New Black), Ryan Pinkston (Tower Prep), Matt Cook (True Blood) and six-time Emmy(R) nominee George Wendt (Cheers) star in the ensemble comedy, which comes to TBS from KoMut Entertainment in association with Warner Horizon Television. Kohan and Mutchnick serve as executive producers on the series and penned the pilot, which was directed by James Widdoes (Two and a Half Men).

TBS has ordered 10 episodes of Buzzy's, with plans to launch the show in 2015. Set in Charlestown, Mass., the multi-camera comedy centers on a group of coworkers who all went to high school together but ran in very different crowds. Now they find themselves working together at Buzzy's, a barbershop that was recently bought by one-time loser Ben (Pinkston). Since taking over the establishment, Ben has become the boss to many of his old classmates, and he's not afraid to flaunt his more powerful position.

Ben's staff at Buzzy's includes Mo (Cook), his best friend and total opposite. Mo sees the best in people, which explains why he's been able to put up with Ben since childhood. Also working at Buzzy's are A.J. Salerno (Castle), the popular kid who was once a great baseball player until a shoulder injury pulled him out of the game and into the barber shop; Danni (Tisdale), who could be doing bigger things with her life if she weren't too busy trying to figure out if a fling with A.J. on prom night means they're more than just friends; and Joy (Lapkus), the eternally optimistic receptionist and the object of Mo's affections... even though she's already taken. The pilot episode also features guest star Diona Reasonover (Shane Dawson TV).

In addition to his regular staff, Ben has arranged for the barbershop's former owner, Buzzy (Wendt), to stay on board. Through his many decades as behind the barber's chair, Buzzy has become as much an institution as the place that bears his name.

"With its unique setting, terrific cast and sharp writing, Buzzy's puts a fresh spin on the workplace comedy," said Michael Wright, president, head of programming for TNT, TBS and Turner Classic Movies (TCM). "We're especially excited to be marking our first venture with executive producers Max Mutchnick and David Kohan, whose Will & Grace stands as one of the funniest sitcoms ever made."

Photo by Walter McBride