Former Olympic figure skater Adam Rippon has not competed since retiring in 2018, but he is returning to the ice differently. He is developing a new comedy series for NBC. Rippon will showcase the world of figure skating from a very different perspective.
According to Variety, Rippon is developing a figure skating comedy series for NBC. The show will be “set in the off-the-wall world” of adult figure skating. The series will reportedly tackle the “oversized ambitions, underwhelming talent and boundless heart” as a female figure skater fights her family, failing knees, and her competitors. Rippon and Susan Kittenplan created the series and developed the story together. They will both serve as executive producers.
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Billy Finnegan (Bad Teacher, Grace, and Frankie) is also a co-creator of the untitled project. He will write the script while also serve as an executive producer. 20th Television will produce the series.
A former member of the United States skating team, Rippon won a bronze medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea. He then took part in another competition during season 26 of Dancing With the Stars on ABC. Rippon partnered with dance pro Jenna Johnson and won the competition.
Following his retirement, Rippon embraced the world of television, as well as another streaming platform. He partnered with Quibi for This Day in Useless Celebrity History. The show’s purpose was for Rippon to celebrate the more unique moments from celebrity history in bite-sized chunks.
Quibi released eight episodes of Rippon’s show, which feature him in numerous outfits and scenarios. One specific example was a celebration of the fifth anniversary of Rihanna headlining the Met Gala. To truly capture the singer’s essence, Rippon sewed two queen comforters together and wore them like a gown. He then headed to the actual Met Gala while donning a tiara.
“There are so many great moments to choose from, and I’ll be there breaking it down for Quibi’s viewers and reminding them of all the drama we’ve lived through together,” Rippon said in a statement before the show’s release, per Variety. The outlet explained that each show’s episode would coincide with the calendar date that a specific event took place. Whether this was the final episode of Friends or Harry Styles going solo, Rippon covered several topics.
While Quibi embraced shorter episodes to provide streaming fans with various content, the service did not find success. It will shut down six months after launching, bringing about the end of This Day in Useless Celebrity History and several other series. Quibi will end “around” Dec. 1.
