Kaley Cuoco has joined the growing cast of the pilot for the HBO Max drama “How to Survive Without Me.”
The “Flight Attendant” star is the latest addition to the project’s ensemble, which already includes Ray Romano (“Everybody Loves Raymond”) and Joshua Jackson (“Doctor Odyssey”). The pilot comes from co-writers Greg Berlanti (“You”) and Bash Doran (“Life After Life”), based on a story originally conceived by Berlanti, Doran and Robbie Rogers (“Fellow Travelers”).
Cuoco’s casting comes on the heels of her recent turn opposite Sam Claflin in the MGM+ original thriller “Vanished.” Furthermore, her involvement in the pilot makes “How to Survive Without Me” the second collaboration between Cuoco and Berlanti, following their work together on the HBO Max original “The Flight Attendant,” which Berlanti executive produced.
Berlanti, Doran and Rogers are all attached as executive producers on “How to Survive Without Me” alongside Sarah Schechter and Leigh London Redman of Berlanti Productions. The pilot’s logline teases that it will follow the De Angelis family. In the wake of matriarch Beverly’s passing, the family’s surviving members have begun to drift aimlessly without Beverly’s guidance. However, they are set on a new course when they receive instructions from her from beyond the grave.
Should they hope to experience Beverly’s final work, her grieving family members will be forced to find ways to stay connected without her. Cuoco has reportedly been cast as Kate, Beverly’s eldest daughter, who despite inheriting her mother’s perfectionism, elegance and organizational prowess, is starting to struggle to maintain her perfect facade while also balancing her own marriage, motherly responsibilities and full-time interior design job. As she moves forward after Beverly’s death, she rediscovers old, deep wounds she has never fully addressed.
“Kaley Cuoco is an inspired choice for Kate,” Sarah Aubrey, head of Max Original Programming, said in a statement Wednesday. “With her incredible range, she is a perfect fit for the role. Her previous work with Greg Berlanti on ‘The Flight Attendant’ showed us the magic of their creative partnership, and we’re excited to see them reunite and capture that spark again.”
“Kaley has such a rich legacy at WBTV, and we’re excited to collaborate with her once again on ‘How to Survive Without Me,’” Clancy Collins White, President of Creative Affairs at Warner Bros. Television, added. “She has a natural charm and a remarkable talent for turning roles into unforgettable characters, and we can’t wait to see her powerhouse performance alongside Ray and Joshua in this deeply moving story from Greg and Bash.”
Cuoco received three Emmy nominations for “The Flight Attendant,” two for Outstanding Lead Actress and one for the show’s Outstanding Comedy series nom. Before that, she starred as Penny across all 12 seasons of the CBS sitcom “The Big Bang Theory.” In the years since that series ended, Cuoco has kept busy, not only with “The Flight Attendant” and “Vanished” but also the Peacock original series “Based on a True Story” and HBO Max’s animated “Harley Quinn” series, in which she voices the show’s iconic, eponymous DC Comics villain.
