'Weeds' and 'Nurse Jackie' Revivals in the Works at Showtime

The adventures of Jackie Peyton and Nancy Botwin are set to resume with revivals of Nurse Jackie and Weeds now in development. Showtime is reportedly planning to bring back two of its most successful comedies, following the hit revival of Dexter. Weeds and Nurse Jackie were originally produced by Lionsgate Television.

The revivals are in the very early stages of development, sources told Deadline on May 15. Nurse Jackie star Edie Falco and Weeds' Mary-Louise Parker are both expected to return and executive produce the projects. Their deals are still being negotiated. Former Showtime chief Robert Greenblatt has a deal at Lionsgate TV and was reportedly responsible for getting the wheels turning.

Both projects are being "fast-tracked" to debut in the first quarter of 2024, although that could be hard to accomplish because of the writers' strike. Christian Torpe, who created the hit Danish series Rita will oversee the Weeds revival, which would see Parker's Nancy move to Copenhagen. Writers Liz Flahive and Abe Sylvia are set to return for Nurse Jackie. Untitled Entertainment is also involved in producing Weeds.

Weeds was created by Jenji Kohan, who would go on to develop Orange Is the New Black. Parker played Nancy Botwin, a suburban widowed mother of two sons who starts selling marijuana to support her family. Weeds ran eight seasons from 2005 to 2012. Hunter Parrish and Alexander Gould played Nancy's sons, while Justin Kirk played her brother-in-law. Kevin Nealon played accountant Doug Wilson. Parker earned three Emmy nominations, while the show won two for sound mixing in 2009 and cinematography in 2010. In 2019, Lionsgate TV's sister network Starz tried to revive Weeds, but that version never came to fruition.

In Nurse Jackie, Falco starred as Jackie Peyton, a New York City ER nurse who used Vicodin, Percocet, and Xanax to get through her days. Liz Brixius, Evan Dunsky, and Linda Wallem created the series, which ran seven seasons from 2009 to 2015. The show won five Emmys, including Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for Falco in 2010 and Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for Merritt Weaver in 2013.

News of the Weeds and Nurse Jackie revivals surfaced as Showtime is shifting its focus to franchise-building. The Paramount Global-owned network is already developing spinoffs based on Billions, Dexter, and The L Word. In late January, Paramount announced plans to rebrand Showtime as "Paramount+ With Showtime," and Showtime content will be available on the Paramount+ premium tier soon. Showtime also canceled the unsuccessful shows American Gigolo and Let The Right One In. Shailene Woodley's already-completed Three Women was canceled, then moved to Starz.