'Kate & Allie': NBC Planning Remake of Classic Sitcom

Yet another classic 1980s sitcom is being considered for a remake and reboot. NBC is reportedly developing a remake of Kate & Allie, which centered on two divorced best friends who decide to raise their children in the same home. The original series starred Jane Curtin and Susan Saint James and aired from 1984 to 1989 on CBS.

The new project has received a put pilot commitment from NBC, reports The Hollywood Reporter. The new show will be written by Erica Oyama, who previously worked on Netflix's Never Have I Ever and ABC's Fresh Off The Boat. It will be produced by Universal Television, Propagate, and Nahnatchka Khan's Fierce Baby, under Khan's overall deal with Universal. The new Kate & Allie will feature two women who are "like sister wives," but do not pretend to love the same man. They are out to prove that romance is not needed for a woman to be a successful mother.

The original Kate & Allie was created by Sherry Coben. Saint James starred as the free-spirited Kate and Curtin played her traditional friend, Allie. They lived in a brownstone in New York City, where they raise Kate's daughter Emma (Ari Meyers) and Allie's children Chip (Frederick Koehler) and Jennie (Allison Smith). The show was released on DVD but is not available to stream.

NBC is also developing Hungry, which will star singer Demi Lovato, who will also executive produce. The show is about a group of friends who are members of a food issues group and try to help each other in life outside their meetings. Will & Grace's Suzanne Martin created the series, which has a put pilot commitment as well, reports THR. A "put pilot commitment" means NBC would pay a penalty if the show does not make it to air. If the show does air, it will be Lovato's first regular TV role since Disney's Sonny with a Chance. However, he did have a recurring part in Will & Grace's final season.

Kate & Allie is not the only 1980s sitcom getting a new treatment in 2021. ABC officially ordered a pilot for a new version of The Wonder Years. The new show will be set during the same time period as the original, 1968 to 1973, but will instead follow a Black family in Montgomery, Alabama. It will be written by Saladin Patterson, who also worked on Psych and The Big Bang Theory. Fred Savage signed on as an executive producer and director.