CBS Reveals Plans for Three New Show Pilots

CBS is lining up its upcoming pilot season, signing two well-respected TV directors for three upcoming comedy pilots on Friday.

Deadline reported that Andy Ackerman was hired to direct two pilots, while James Burrows is directing the third.

Burrows signed on it direct the pilot for Here Comes The Neighborhood, which he will also executive produce. The pilot was written by Jim Reynolds, a four-time Emmy nominee as a producer on CBS‘ The Big Bang Theory and an executive producer on 9JKL. It will be a fish-out-of-water story about a nice guy from the Midwest who moves his family to a tough part of Los Angeles, where not everyone is prepared for his extreme kindness.

Ackerman will direct the pilot for writer Corinne Kingsbury’s Fam. The show centers on another character whose life is interupted by an unexpected houseguest. This time, it’s a woman who wanted to have a straight-laced life with her new fiance and his family, but her plans are ruined when her sister moves in to escape their father. Kingsbury is a writer and actress who worked on Back In The Game and The Newswroom. Jane The Virgin producer David Rosenthal is an executive producer on the show.

Ackerman will also have his hands full with Pandas in New York. This is about a family of Indian doctors in New York who try to plan their youngest son’s life, only to find out he has his own plans. It was written by Ajay Sahgal, who was an executive producer on The Charmichael Show.

Ackerman and Burrows are two of the most prolific sitcom directors in the business today. Ackerman is a three-time Emmy winner for his work on WKRP In Cincinnati and Cheers. He also worked on Seinfeld, The Great Indoors, Grace and Frankie and Living Biblically.

Burrows co-created Cheers and has directed over 1000 TV episodes, including over 50 pilots. The 10-time Emmy winner is now back working on Will & Grace.