He'll play the lead in buzzy comedy 'The King of 7B.'

The former host of CBS' The Late Late Show has been tapped to star in ABC's buzzy comedy pilot The King of 7B, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.

The ensemble comedy, already hailed as one of the season's freshest scripts, centers on Prentiss (Ferguson), an agoraphobic recluse who ventures outside for the first time in 11 years when he spies what could be his soul mate moving into the building across the street.

The character is further described as far from shy and humble; he wears a monogrammed dressing gown and has a refined,
 upright, regal bearing.

For Ferguson, the role marks a return to acting for the comedian, who, since he signed off Late Late Show, has kept busy hosting syndicated game show Celebrity Name Game (which was renewed for a second season in January).

With the role, Ferguson will return to the network where he previously starred in The Drew Carey Show for eight seasons in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

The prolific comedian has continued to keep a foot in the acting community with regular guest voice roles on series including Family Guy, SpongeBob SquarePants, Futurama, Archer as well as scripted appearances on Hot in Cleveland, Sean Saves the World and Web Therapy, as well as features How to Train Your Dragon 2 and more. He's repped by WME and Gang Tyre.

The news officially puts to rest reports that Ferguson was primed to host a new syndicated talk show for Tribune-owned stations that was eyed for the 7:30 p.m. slot.

From ABC Studios, The Big Year's Howard Franklin will pen the script and executive produce King of 7B. The single-camera comedy, from ABC Studios, also will be exec produced by Neighbors and Galavant's Dan Fogelman and his Rhode Island Ave. Productions banner. David Frankel (Entourage) will exec produce and direct the pilot, with Ben Karlin (Modern Family, Daily Show) attached to serve as show runner.

Ferguson joins a cast that also includes Carla Jiminez as Juana, Prentiss' housekeeper, and Kirby Howell-Baptiste as Greta, who delivers art to the recluse.

Craig Ferguson to Launch Live Daily ‘Format-Free’ Show for SiriusXM

Managing Editor: Television
Cynthia Littleton
Managing Editor: Television
@Variety_Cynthia
JANUARY 26, 2017 | 06:00AM PT

Craig Ferguson is going back to the daily grind on his own offbeat terms, setting a deal with SiriusXM to host a live two-hour program to air weekdays from 6-8 p.m. ET.

“The Craig Ferguson Show” is set to bow Feb. 27 on the satellite radio service. The show is described as a mix of long-form interviews, guest visits, viewer call-in segments, sketches, observations from Ferguson and “little story pieces” of the type that Ferguson loved from listening to the U.K. radio version of “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” in his youth.

The former host of CBS’ “Late Late Show” promises the program will be “format-free” and only feature guests that interest him rather than celebrities with an agent to plug a project.He has enlisted two former producers of “Late Late Show” to help him with the SiriusXM program.

“I like the idea of trying to do it a little different and a little strange,” Ferguson told Variety. SiriusXM has built a radio studio in Ferguson’s home in Los Angeles (“I’ll have a 15-second commute,” he said), and he will also be able to take the show on the road as needed. He intends to bring the show to New York in March.

Ferguson left “Late Late Show” in December 2014 after a 10-year run that earned the Scottish-born hyphenate a Peabody kudo and a devoted fan following. Ferguson was known for being by turns unpredictably zany, biting and entirely heartfelt in his monologues and guest interviews.

During the past three years he’s hosted the daytime syndicated game show “Celebrity Name Game,” which ends in March after failing to earn a fourth-season pickup, and the History panel program “Join or Die.” Ferguson landed back-to-back Daytime Emmy wins for game show host for his work on “Name Game.”

With the SiriusXM show, Ferguson said he’ll be free to take on what interests him on any given day without having to worry about having to appeal to a broad range of viewers. SiriusXM at present has 31.3 million subscribers. “Craig Ferguson” will air on the Comedy Greats channel, reflecting SiriusXM’s recent push to beef up its roster of comedy programming.

“I’m only making this show for people who already understand and like me,” Ferguson said. “It’s kind of an experiment. It’s a two-year deal. If I like them and they like me, we’ll do more.”

SiriusXM has vowed to give Ferguson control of the show, nor does he have to worry about network censorship in the pay-radio realm.

“Craig Ferguson is a great broadcasting talent with a singular style,” said Scott Greenstein, SiriusXM’s president and chief content officer. “Throughout his impressive, award-winning career, Craig’s irreverent charm has won over millions of Americans, while proving himself a true original.”

Ferguson said he has missed the opportunity to comment on headline news and pop culture trends since he signed off of “Late Late Show.”

“It’s not going to be an overtly political show, but the world is overtly political right now so there will be a lot of that,” Ferguson said. “After the election, the job of a comedian is to speak truth to power — or speak alt-facts to power.”

Ferguson has no regrets about ending his run on the “Late Late Show.” He acknowledges that his brand of observational and anecdotal humor — and bizarro sketch bits — was not a great fit for network late-night.

“The shows have either become super-political or super-glitzy show business,” he said. “I didn’t fit into either camp particularly well.”

Since leaving CBS, Ferguson has been a regular on the comedy tour circuit. He is also close to finishing his second novel, “The Sphinx of the Mississippi,” and his Green Mountain West production banner has a handful of projects in development.

Ferguson is looking forward to the renewed discipline of delivering a daily entertainment program, albeit in a new medium.

“I like being back in the game without being back in the game,” he said.