HBO has ordered new pilot from Sarah Silverman. A veteran comedian in addition to an accomplished showrunner, Silverman will also tape a comedy special for the premium network. The multi-hyphenate most recently created I Love You, America, which was cancelled by Hulu despite multiple Emmy nominations. Her history at HBO includes her 2013 standup special We Are Miracles, for which she won an Emmy, as well as appearances on the sketch series Mr. Show and comedy Crashing. Silverman also created and starred in Comedy Central’s The Sarah Silverman Program, which ran from 2007 to 2010.
In press release, Silverman said that in the show, she would be “weighing in on the mishigas of the week and taking live video calls.” She continued, “I’m as passionate talking about my face-washing routine as I am talking about why billionaires cost us money. Nothing’s off the table and nothing’s too high or low brow for me. I mean — look at my face — I’m literally all brow.”
HBO’s executive vice president of programming Nina Rosenstein said of Silverman, “Sarah is truly a comedic force of nature and we’re so happy to have her back on HBO.”
In a tweet, HBO billed the upcoming show as “late-night series.” Currently, the network employs comedian Bill Maher in a similar role with his talkshow Real Time with Bill Maher. In the past, the premium channel has produced late night series with the likes of Chris Rock, Dennis Miller, and Bill Simmonds. The move to explore a new series with Silverman comes in a climate where rival premium network Showtime has tapped former Viceland personalities Desus Nice and The Kid Mero to host their own take on the talkshow format.
Silverman is set to executive produce the pilot alongside Amy Zvi, who collaborated with her on I Love You, America as well as her two comedy specials, and Judd Apatow (The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Trainwreck). In tandem with creating the currently unnamed HBO pilot, Silverman is also set to act in the upcoming film Marry Me for Universal, which is currently in production. Not content to stick to the mediums of film and television, she is also tuning her memoire, The Bedwetter: Stories of Courage, Redemption, and Pee, into a musical set to debut next year.
HBO has yet to announce a development timeline for Silverman’s talkshow.