Craig T. Nelson to Star in 'Coach' Follow-Up Series for NBC
#1
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Craig T. Nelson to Star in 'Coach' Follow-Up Series for NBC
NBC has handed out a 13-episode straight-to-series order for a Coach follow-up comedy, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.
Craig T. Nelson, fresh off his six-season run on NBC's Parenthood, will reprise his role as coach Hayden Fox in the comedy. Barry Kemp — who created the original series that ran on ABC for nine seasons — will return to write the NBC follow-up and exec produce the Universal Television multicamera series with Nelson.
NBC's sequel picks up 18 years after Coach went off the air in 1997 following a nearly 200-episode run. Nelson's beleaguered football coach is now retired and is called back to become the assistant coach to his own grown son, who is now the new head coach at an Ivy League school in Pennsylvania that is just starting up a new team.
A premiere date for Coach 2.0 has not yet been determined and no additional casting information has been revealed. The original series, produced by Universal Television, featured Jerry Van Dyke as Fox's bumbling assistant Luther and Bill Fagerbakke as fellow assistant coach Dauber; Shelley Fabares played Nelson's wife, Christine.
The series concluded with Hayden and Christine adopting a child after being unable to conceive.
Sources tell THR that NBC, who had the first meeting for the follow-up given its sibling studio Universal is producing, bought the pitch in the room with the straight-to-series order, prompting producers to cancel meetings set up with CBS, ABC and Fox.
While the new series will put the focus on Hayden and his son, sources indicate it's unlikely that any other original castmembers will return, with the role of the wife still unclear given that there is not yet a script after NBC bought the comedy based on its pitch.
The Coach revival has been in the works for months, with Nelson approached to revive the project toward the end of Parenthood's run when he was debating signing on: "We're talking about it. I'm really at a quandary. But I've been approached and we're thinking about it and talked through it a little bit," he told THR. "I don't know. It would be a new form; it's his son. He adopted a son and his son now has become a coach."
For NBC, Coach comes as the network has been looking to revive its multicamera block this season. The network most recently pulled single-camera comedies About a Boy and Marry Me in favor of multicams One Big Happy and the second season of Undateable. Of NBC's 13 comedy pilots this season, six are multicam — up two year-over-year. Coach also marks NBC's second straight-to-series order of the season, joining single-camera comedy Telenovela, starring Eva Longoria, which also landed a 13-episode order for a fall premiere. Not to be outdone, the network also gave an early six-episode series pickup to multicam The Carmichael Show starring Jerrod Carmichael.
Reboots and revivals have become all the rage this development and pilot season as the broadcast networks look for proven formats in a bid to break through the clutter. ABC has Uncle Buck; CBS has Limitless and Rush Hour; Fox has Minority Report; and NBC has Problem Child. Key to the success of such revivals is having the original creators and producers involved, which Coach has with Universal, Nelson and Kemp.
During its run, Coach was a mainstay at the Emmys, with multiple nominations for its regular and guest cast and wins in 1992 for Nelson and in 1996 for guest star Tim Conway.
Nelson is repped by Paradigm, Tom Hoberman and Forward Entertainment. Kemp is repped by ICM Partners, who packaged NBC's Coach, and Bill Jacobson.
The Coach revival also keeps Nelson in the NBC and Universal fold after starring as Zeek Braverman for all six seasons of the network's recently departed Jason Katims drama Parenthood.
Craig T. Nelson, fresh off his six-season run on NBC's Parenthood, will reprise his role as coach Hayden Fox in the comedy. Barry Kemp — who created the original series that ran on ABC for nine seasons — will return to write the NBC follow-up and exec produce the Universal Television multicamera series with Nelson.
NBC's sequel picks up 18 years after Coach went off the air in 1997 following a nearly 200-episode run. Nelson's beleaguered football coach is now retired and is called back to become the assistant coach to his own grown son, who is now the new head coach at an Ivy League school in Pennsylvania that is just starting up a new team.
A premiere date for Coach 2.0 has not yet been determined and no additional casting information has been revealed. The original series, produced by Universal Television, featured Jerry Van Dyke as Fox's bumbling assistant Luther and Bill Fagerbakke as fellow assistant coach Dauber; Shelley Fabares played Nelson's wife, Christine.
The series concluded with Hayden and Christine adopting a child after being unable to conceive.
Sources tell THR that NBC, who had the first meeting for the follow-up given its sibling studio Universal is producing, bought the pitch in the room with the straight-to-series order, prompting producers to cancel meetings set up with CBS, ABC and Fox.
While the new series will put the focus on Hayden and his son, sources indicate it's unlikely that any other original castmembers will return, with the role of the wife still unclear given that there is not yet a script after NBC bought the comedy based on its pitch.
The Coach revival has been in the works for months, with Nelson approached to revive the project toward the end of Parenthood's run when he was debating signing on: "We're talking about it. I'm really at a quandary. But I've been approached and we're thinking about it and talked through it a little bit," he told THR. "I don't know. It would be a new form; it's his son. He adopted a son and his son now has become a coach."
For NBC, Coach comes as the network has been looking to revive its multicamera block this season. The network most recently pulled single-camera comedies About a Boy and Marry Me in favor of multicams One Big Happy and the second season of Undateable. Of NBC's 13 comedy pilots this season, six are multicam — up two year-over-year. Coach also marks NBC's second straight-to-series order of the season, joining single-camera comedy Telenovela, starring Eva Longoria, which also landed a 13-episode order for a fall premiere. Not to be outdone, the network also gave an early six-episode series pickup to multicam The Carmichael Show starring Jerrod Carmichael.
Reboots and revivals have become all the rage this development and pilot season as the broadcast networks look for proven formats in a bid to break through the clutter. ABC has Uncle Buck; CBS has Limitless and Rush Hour; Fox has Minority Report; and NBC has Problem Child. Key to the success of such revivals is having the original creators and producers involved, which Coach has with Universal, Nelson and Kemp.
During its run, Coach was a mainstay at the Emmys, with multiple nominations for its regular and guest cast and wins in 1992 for Nelson and in 1996 for guest star Tim Conway.
Nelson is repped by Paradigm, Tom Hoberman and Forward Entertainment. Kemp is repped by ICM Partners, who packaged NBC's Coach, and Bill Jacobson.
The Coach revival also keeps Nelson in the NBC and Universal fold after starring as Zeek Braverman for all six seasons of the network's recently departed Jason Katims drama Parenthood.
#2
DVD Talk God
Re: Craig T. Nelson to Star in 'Coach' Follow-Up Series for NBC
Wow, a Coach sequel series. I guess this is considered season 10.
I remember watching Coach on and off back in the day on ABC. It had some good laughs. But, I wonder if they will shoot this as a traditional multi-cam sitcom or go for the single cam "Modern Family" type look. I know most here loathe the traditional sitcom.
I remember watching Coach on and off back in the day on ABC. It had some good laughs. But, I wonder if they will shoot this as a traditional multi-cam sitcom or go for the single cam "Modern Family" type look. I know most here loathe the traditional sitcom.
#3
DVD Talk Godfather & 2020 TOTY Winner
Re: Craig T. Nelson to Star in 'Coach' Follow-Up Series for NBC
Finally, the series return that Craig T. Nelson's immediate family has been demanding for years!
#6
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Craig T. Nelson to Star in 'Coach' Follow-Up Series for NBC
Honestly Coach was always kind of a guilty pleasure for me. I'm not sure how I feel about a follow-up series so long after the original ended but it could be interesting.
#8
DVD Talk Gold Edition
Re: Craig T. Nelson to Star in 'Coach' Follow-Up Series for NBC
Wow, a Coach sequel series. I guess this is considered season 10.
I remember watching Coach on and off back in the day on ABC. It had some good laughs. But, I wonder if they will shoot this as a traditional multi-cam sitcom or go for the single cam "Modern Family" type look. I know most here loathe the traditional sitcom.
I remember watching Coach on and off back in the day on ABC. It had some good laughs. But, I wonder if they will shoot this as a traditional multi-cam sitcom or go for the single cam "Modern Family" type look. I know most here loathe the traditional sitcom.
I never watched this show and was surprised to see how much Emmy love it got.
#9
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Craig T. Nelson to Star in 'Coach' Follow-Up Series for NBC
Coach was great...until he went to the NFL.
I'm not sure who was asking for this but, what the hell, I'll watch it.
I'm not sure who was asking for this but, what the hell, I'll watch it.
#10
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Craig T. Nelson to Star in 'Coach' Follow-Up Series for NBC
NBC passed on the Unbreakable Kelly Schmidt and picked up a mediocre ABC sitcom from the 90's?
Maybe Craig's "Parenthood" connections paid off.
Maybe Craig's "Parenthood" connections paid off.
#11
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Re: Craig T. Nelson to Star in 'Coach' Follow-Up Series for NBC
Coach was one of my alltime favorite shows, but I have no desire to see this. Especially if there is no Luther or Dauber.
#12
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Re: Craig T. Nelson to Star in 'Coach' Follow-Up Series for NBC
Coach was one of those mediocre (but still fairly enjoyable) shows that benefitted from the old media landscape. With hundreds of channels, streaming and OnDemand, shows like that just can't survive these days.
#13
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Re: Craig T. Nelson to Star in 'Coach' Follow-Up Series for NBC
I'm not really debating the quality of Coach because that's someone's opinion, but it was a fairly popular show in its day and I think it would find an audience today. Now if were talking about the death of the sitcom overall, I think that has more to do more with Hollywood then the way we watch TV today.
#15
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Craig T. Nelson to Star in 'Coach' Follow-Up Series for NBC
I watched Coach when it first aired, but I only had four channels. The odds of me watching it now are slim to none. This is just a reaction to The Odd Couple.
#16
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Craig T. Nelson to Star in 'Coach' Follow-Up Series for NBC
Good news. He did great on Parenthood; I'm glad to see he's gotten a new gig so quickly.
#17
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Re: Craig T. Nelson to Star in 'Coach' Follow-Up Series for NBC
I loved Coach, so if it were airing today I would definetly watch it.
I actually watch more TV shows then I ever have because of DVR these days. Back in the 80's/90's, I would pick 2-3 shows a year I would watch religiously and would plan my week around when they came on. Any show I was on the fence with would get cut because I was not going to plan my week around that. Whereas now I can just DVR a show I am on the fence about and then binge watch it on weekends.
#18
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Re: Craig T. Nelson to Star in 'Coach' Follow-Up Series for NBC
Since we are bringing back every 1990's TV show where is my continuation of Brisco County Jr.?
#19
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Re: Craig T. Nelson to Star in 'Coach' Follow-Up Series for NBC
How they replace Luther and Dauber is going to be key. Nelson himself is a good actor but he needs a foil or several to play off of. That's what made Coach popular.
#20
DVD Talk Ultimate Edition
Re: Craig T. Nelson to Star in 'Coach' Follow-Up Series for NBC
NBC - making innovative programming decisions in a parallel universe possibly. I bet their internal emails makes Sony's look utopian.
#21
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Craig T. Nelson to Star in 'Coach' Follow-Up Series for NBC
That's true. Those two characters definitely were as big to the show as Hayden himself. I wonder if there's any chance of either Luther or Dauber making appearances. I wouldn think Luther has less of a chance at being anything other than a cameo due to the age of Van Dyke. Dauber could show up but he doesn't seem to do much acting other than voice work now.
#22
Challenge Guru & Comic Nerd
Re: Craig T. Nelson to Star in 'Coach' Follow-Up Series for NBC
Coach was one of those sitcoms that was much better than it should have been. I doubt I'll watch the new one, but I hope it's successful.
#23
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Re: Craig T. Nelson to Star in 'Coach' Follow-Up Series for NBC
That's true. Those two characters definitely were as big to the show as Hayden himself. I wonder if there's any chance of either Luther or Dauber making appearances. I wouldn think Luther has less of a chance at being anything other than a cameo due to the age of Van Dyke. Dauber could show up but he doesn't seem to do much acting other than voice work now.
It's interesting you say that because everyone I knew grewing up loved the show, but I don't think it got that much critical acclaim so it was never a titan of that era of TV shows like Cheers or Roseanne. I still watch reruns on VH1 and the first 3-4 season still hold up, but the show got real bad once he left Minnesota.
#24
Moderator
#25
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Craig T. Nelson to Star in 'Coach' Follow-Up Series for NBC
Agreed. I didn't really watch it so much when it was originally on because I was pretty young, but when it aired on Nick at Nite I watched it quite a bit. It was one of those shows I always figured would be kind of corny but honestly it was pretty decent for what it was once I gave it a chance. I wouldn't call it an all-time classic or anything but definitely an entertaining show.