Friday afternoon, The Hollywood Reporter announced that Paul F. Tompkins would be the lead on a new, untitled ABC pilot—which was news to him. The comedian, actor, and ubiquitous podcast personality tweeted, “Hope it’s real cuz this is how I found out.” So nice scoop, THR, and Tompkins should maybe talk to his reps about their communication.
The show, previously called Bambi Cottages, is about a teacher whose dreams of permanent vacation lead him to impulsively quit his job and move his family to New Hampshire, where they open some tourist cottages. Molly Shannon will play his exasperated, pragmatist wife, as announced last month. (There’s no word if she found out about it through a Hollywood trade publication, though.)
The as-yet untitled series is produced by Brian Gallivan, who’s known mostly as a writer, having penned 10 episodes of Are You There, Chelsea? and a pair of episodes of Happy Endings. He’s also writing the pilot. Among the actors playing their five children is Charlie Kilgore, a.k.a. Moonrise Kingdom’s Lazy-Eye.
To prepare for his upcoming role, we recommend Tompkins check out Brian Doyle Murray in Vacation.