The musical comedy group Lonely Island, known most for their entertaining SNL digital shorts, will be developing three projects for FOX, according to Variety. Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer, and Jorma Taccone, the members of Lonely Island, have fittingly titled their production studio Party Over Hand.
The three projects, all comedies, will be the start of a multi-year deal of producing programs for FOX’s many channels (Fox broadcast, FX, FXX).
1. The Tyler Zone. Danny Pudi (Community) is the eponymous character who moves into a new town and finds strange things happening. Supernatural things. A “surreal sci-fi comedy.”
2. Home for the Weekend. Neal Brennan (Chappelle’s Show) hosts a mockumentary-style sitcom where they follow a comedian back to their hometown, “where pleasant strolls down memory lane can take unexpected turns and reveal surprising backstories about high-profile stars.” The first episode in production is the Lonely Island boys themselves.
3. Topics with Andre Hyland. The series sounds somewhat vague, so here is the official summary. “Comedian Andre Hyland (Hollywood & Hyland) morphs into his uniquely hilarious band of characters and interacts with an unsuspecting public. Hyland writes, directs and stars in this outrageous show.”
When these programs will be distributed has not been decided yet, but all three of these would definitely help fill FXX’s original programming slate. It can also mean that Brooklyn Nine-Nine, starring Andy Samberg, is too successful of a sitcom on FOX to be produced by NBCUniversal, and FOX Production Studios wants Andy Samberg’s creative talents to themselves.