UPDATED: 'Girls5eva' Adds Busy Philipps And Paula Pell To The Peacock Series From '30 Rock' Creators
UPDATE: Saturday Night Live veteran and A.P. Bio co-star Paula Pell has also been added to the series. We've added details of her role in our original story from October 5 below.
If you haven't been compelled to sign up for Peacock yet, their line-up of original programming might change your mind. Along with the upcoming revival of Saved by the Bell and the anticipated return of MacGruber, we're also getting a new series from 30 Rock creators Tina Fey and Robert Carlock, as well as Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt writer and producer Meredith Scardino. The series is called Girls5eva, and the cast of female leads is pretty enticing.
When Girls5eva was announced back in August, it already had Grammy winner, Emmy nominee and Broadway star Sara Bareilles attached, along with Tony-winning Hamilton star Renée Elise Goldsberry. Now the series has added Cougar Town and Vice Principals star Busy Philipps and comedian Paula Pell to the mix.
If this is your first time hearing about Girls5eva, here's the official synopsis for the series:
When a one-hit-wonder girl group from the 90's gets sampled by a young rapper, its members reunite to give their pop star dreams one more shot. They may be grown women balancing spouses, kids, jobs, debt, aging parents, and shoulder pain, but can't they also be Girls5eva?
Philipps has been cast as Summer, the most bubbly, but least talented member of the group. But now life finds her as "a Real Housewives reject in yoga pants living in a New Jersey McMansion." Sounds like she's not dealing with post-pop star life very well. As for Paula Pell, she'll be playing Gloria, one of the group's members who has since become a dentist and came out of the closet as a lesbian. She now lives with her elderly father, and she's looking for some new excitement in her life.
As for the rest of the cast, Bareilles is playing Dawn, who is now a bit restless in life managing her family's small Italian restaurant in Queens. She's the one who reluctantly decides to get the band back together when an opportunity suddenly arises. And Goldsberry will play Wickie, the glamorous, big-voiced star of the group. She attempted a solo career that didn't turn out very well, but she's determined to use this new opportunity to retake her rightful place as pop royalty.
This series sounds like it has the potential to be a blast. Fey and Carlock have made some of the best television comedy ever, and having them dip their toes back into the showbiz world for this new series is an exciting one. Is there any chance this could take place in the same universe as 30 Rock? There has to be a way to make that happen.
Considering the title, I'm betting there are still two more actresses yet to be cast in Girls5eva. Is there any room for Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt star Ellie Kemper to get in on this? What about Rachel Leigh Cook and all her Josie and the Pussycats energy? We'll have to wait and see.
Kat Coiro, recently hired for Marvel's She-Hulk series starring Tatiana Maslany, will direct the pilot, and the series will be executive produced by Tina Fey, Robert Carlock, Meredith Scardino (who is credited as creator), Jeff Richmond, David Miner, and Eric Gurian.