“Newlyweds” has found its next boss. The NBC romantic sitcom tapped “The Conners” co-creator Bruce Helford as showrunner following the firing of Gail Lerner.
The Téa Leoni and Tim Daly-led comedy lost its original showrunner on Oct. 9 after NBC first Lerner over creative differences. Lerner, a veteran of sitcoms with credits on “Black-ish” and “Will & Grace,” created “Newlyweds” alongside Jamie Lee Curtis, who remains an executive producer and recurring star.
“The reason I’ve been given is “creative differences,” she wrote on Instagram announcing her exit. The show had banked six episodes by the time of her firing, with Episode 8 filming on Friday. The show was on an expected filming hiatus this week, allowing for the network to secure a new showrunner.
The gig marks Helford’s return to multi-cam comedy after wrapping a seven-season run for “The Conners,” ABC’s highly-rated spinoff of the “Roseanne” reboot, born out of its cancellation after controversial comments from its main star. Beyond that sitcom franchise, the TV veteran also has credits on “The Drew Carey Show,” “George Lopez” and others. He is repped by UTA and Ziffren Brittenham.
“Newlyweds” follows Leoni and Daly as a free-spirited mother and a buttoned-up professor who tie the knot after a whirlwind romance. Curtis plays Daly’s kooky ex-wife. The show also stars Emma Meisel, Ignacio Diaz-Silverio and Bill O’Neill.
Executive producers include Helford, Lerner, Eric and Kim Tannenbaum and Jason Wang for the Tannenbaum Company, Curtis, Scott Schwartz and Lionsgate Television. Director Pam Fryman also executive produced the pilot. The show is produced by Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group.
“Newlyweds” premieres Friday, Oct. 23 on NBC.
