The legendary comic was due to return to primetime next year in a family sitcom but the plan is scrapped for now.
- November 20, 2014
AceShowbiz -
Bill Cosby's career suffers further in the wake of rape allegations against him. Not long after Netflix postponed his stand-up comedy, NBC announced that it had halted the development of its Bill Cosby sitcom.
The project was first announced in January with Mike Sikowitz and former "Glee" star Mike O'Malley on board as pilot writers. The plan was to bring back Cosby to primetime in an untitled family sitcom due to debut either next summer or fall.
NBC entertainment president Jennifer Salke described the project during Television Critics Association press tour in July, "Bill plays the patriarch of the family, dispensing his classic wisdom on relationships and parenthood, with three daughters, husbands, and grandchildren." A deal between the network and Cosby was in place in August but NBC never gave an official go-ahead to the series and that the network was waiting on script delivery, Huffington Post reported.
No comment from NBC or Cosby's rep yet regarding the show's halt. The legendary comic's lawyer previously released a statement over the allegations that he sexually assaulted several women in the 1970s and '80s. "Mr. Cosby does not intend to dignify these allegations with any comment. He would like to thank all his fans for the outpouring of support and assure them that, at age 77, he is doing his best work," John P. Schmitt wrote on the actor's website.
The allegations have been around for years but the case escalated to a new height when stand-up comedian Hannibal Buress mentioned it onstage and a woman penned an op-ed for the Washington Post describing the sexual assault she experienced. Looks like NBC had no choice but to put a halt to it.
The issue actually had been brought up during the press tour but Salke said at that time, "We're very committed, and that's an important show for us." NBC's entertainment chairman Bob Greenblatt later told reporters, "All I do is try to put on shows that I think are good, with extraordinary talent. I think he's extraordinary. And I think the show will be good. All the other things will sort of sort themselves out."
