In TV pickup news you probably figured happened several months ago, FX has picked up its new Billy Crystal and Josh Gad vehicle The Comedians to series, something it announced via press release. Thirteen episodes will be produced later in the year, with an eye toward airing them in 2015, which is just next year and not some terrifying date in a dystopian future anymore. Crystal will star as the legendary centerpiece of a beloved late-night sketch comedy show, whose old-fashioned comedy stylings come in conflict with Gad’s hip and edgy approach. Which, really, sounds like that time Crystal hosted the Oscars one last time and we all made fun of him on Twitter, only Josh Gad will be playing the role of all of us, which is stunningly accurate casting. The Comedians is Crystal’s first regular role in a TV series since the immortal ‘70s sitcom Soap and Gad’s first regular role in a TV series since 1600 Penn.
The series hails from TV comedy legend Larry Charles, whose work on Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm has earned a lifetime pass from us. It’s also being produced by Crystal, as well as Matt Nix (the, uh, Burn Notice creator?) and Ben Wexler, who worked on the fourth seasons of both Arrested Development and Community, so, y’know, adjust your expectations based on that. We don’t yet know if this show will be any good, but one thing is safe to say: In the canon of recent Billy Crystal projects, it will almost certainly be an improvement on Parental Guidance.