Its been over a decade since comedy movie mogul Judd Apatow has created a TV series, Foxs Undeclared. Now he has, and his return vehicle, a relationship comedy starring Paul Rust (I Love You, Beth Cooper) and Communitys Gillian Jacobs, is getting a big two-season straight-to-series pickup from Netflix. The streaming service has ordered a 10-episode first and 12-episode second season of Love, which Apatow co-created and wrote with Rust and Lesley Arfin (Brooklyn Nine-Nine). Season 1 will debut in 2016, Season 2 the following year.
Apatow Prods. and Legendary Television are producing, with Brent Forrester (The Office) joining Apatow, Rust and Afrin as executive producer.
Love follows Gus (Rust) and Mickey (Jacobs) as they navigate the exhilaration and humiliations of intimacy, commitment, and other things they were hoping to avoid. Judd Apatow has a unique comedic voice that manages to be delightful, insightful, and shockingly frank often at the same time, said Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos. Together with Paul and Lesley, hes bringing a whole new level of agony and ecstasy to this modern day comedy of manners. Jacobs also will continue her role on Community, which is returning for a 13-episode sixth season on Yahoo.
A two-season straight-to-series commitment is reserved for top packages from A-list auspices. Netflix gave it to David Fincher and Kevin Spacey for House Of Cards, the show that put the digital company on the original series map; Starz recently handed it out to a comedy from Seth MacFarlane starring Patrick Stewart. I am so excited to get to work with Paul and Lesley on this project, said Apatow. Netflix has been supportive in ways I couldnt create in my wildest fever dreams.
Like he does with his movies, Apatow has assembled a team of people he has worked with before. Arfin served as a writer and Jacobs has recurred on Lena Dunhams HBO comedy series Girls, which Apatow executive produces. Rust is co-writing with Paul Reubens a new Pee-Wee Herman movie, which Apatow is producing. Forrester worked on The Ben Stiller Show which Apatow co-created, and Apatows Undeclared. Forrester and Apatow also created the 2002 pilot Life On Parole, Apatows last TV pilot as a writer before he segued to and hit it big in features. Forrester most recently was co-executive producer on ABCs Super Fun Night which co-starred Rust.
This marks the biggest order to date for Legendary Television. The company also recently received its first pilot pickup for The Colony at USA and a pilot production commitment from CBS for bioethicist drama Austens Razor. We at Legendary are thrilled to be working with the wonderfully talented Judd and excited to partner with the Netflix team, said Bruce Rosenblum, Legendary Televisions President of Television and Digital Media.
Apatow is repped by UTA, Mosaic and Ziffren Brittenham; Rust is with UTA, Mosaic and Morris Yorn; Arfin is with UTA, Circle of Confusion and attorney Lev Ginsburg. Jacobs is repped by UTA, Authentic and attorney Jamie Feldman, and Forrester is with UTA and Jackoway Tyerman.
