ABC has greenlit laffers starring Jennifer Love Hewitt and a comedian who goes by the name Earthquake, while Aisha Tyler ("Friends") has landed a sitcom pilot at CBS.
Meanwhile, Kirsten Storms ("Days of Our Lives") is joining the Eye's Mel Gibson-produced drama "Clubhouse" and Chyler Leigh ("Girls Club") has been added to the cast of Fox comedy pilot "Lucky Us."
The Earthquake project will star the comedian as an unlucky father of four who, with his wife, struggles to make ends meet.
Touchstone TV and Tollin-Robbins are behind the sitcom. Les Firestein ("The Drew Carey Show," "Wanda at Large") will write and exec produce the pilot presentation.
David Himelfarb, Mike Tollin, Brian Robbins, Joe Davola and David Goldman also exec produce. Earthquake, who's repped by Gersh and Principato-Young, is a veteran of the "Kings of Comedy" tours and recently toplined a special for Comedy Central.
Comedian had previously signed a talent holding and development deal at ABC (Daily Variety, Oct. 9).
As for Hewitt, the "Party of Five" thesp will star as a sports reporter and single mom in her untitled Alphabet web laffer, which comes from Touchstone TV.
Gabe Sachs and Jeff Judah ("Freaks and Geeks") will write and exec produce the pilot presentation (Daily Variety, Nov. 24). Hewitt, who came up with the story with Sachs and Judah, will co-produce via her Love Spell Entertainment shingle.
Sachs and Judah are busy this development season: They're also exec producers on ABC's drama pilot "Doing It."
Then there's the untitled Tyler project, which stars the former "Talk Soup" and "The 5th Wheel" host as Melanie, a sophisticated single New Yorker who makes the move from a small, edgy fashion house to a large corporation.
Scribes Bill Martin and Mike Schiff ("Grounded for Life") will write and exec produce the project. Martin and Schiff are in the midst of an overall deal at Warner Bros. TV, which will produce along with Is or Isn't Entertainment. Dan Bucatinsky and Lisa Kudrow also are behind the show.
As for recent casting news:
• Storms will play the sister of the lead batboy in the baseball-themed "Clubhouse." In addition to a regular role on NBC sudser "Days," thesp -- repped by Paradigm and Element Entertainment -- plays the title character in the Disney Channel's "Zenon" telepics.
Also added to the "Clubhouse" cast are Dan Byrd, who had a regular role on Lifetime's "Any Day Now," and newcomer JD Pardo.
• Leigh returns to Fox as conservative architect Lucy Reed in "Lucky Us," a half-hour about a couple forced together due to an unintended pregnancy. In addition to "Girls Club," Leigh -- who's repped by Lane Management -- had a recurring role on "The Practice" last year and starred in short-lived Fox laffer "That '80s Show." (As reported by VARIETY)
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