Unlikely teams are my bread and butter.
But really, basketball legend LeBron James and Scrubs creator Bill Lawrence may not be so crazy of a match after all. James’ production company, SpringHill Entertainment, has already contributed on shows like Disney XD’s Becoming and the noted Starz comedy Survivor’s Remorse, among others. Lawrence’s production company, Doozer, has also had their hands in Cougar Town, Undateable, and Rush Hour. They both have backgrounds in producing comedy, so a match seems like a natural decision.
Now the two companies are set to work together on a new comedy that may be coming to NBC. Deadline reports that There Goes The Neighborhood has been given a script commitment with penalty from the network.
There Goes The Neighborhood is a humorous look into the fear of gentrifying a neighborhood as a white family begins to move into a predominantly black neighborhood in Cleveland, Ohio. Obviously the location is dear to James’ heart, as it not only has his loyalty in basketball, but he has also produced another series set in the rock and roll capital of the world: the reality series called Cleveland Hustles on CNBC.
Community alums Neil Goldman and Garrett Donovan are already on board to write the series along with triple-threat Ron Funches (actor, writer, comedian). Lawrence has previously worked with the Community writers Goldman and Donovan, as they joined the Scrubs writing team shortly after its pilot. Goldman and Donovan stayed with the medical comedy, slowly working from writers to executive producers, until the end of season eight. The trio also managed to create an ill-fated comedy called Nobody’s Watching, which ironically didn’t air on the WB but became immensely popular when the first episode leaked online. Funches has also had previously work experience with Lawrence when he starred in the comedy Undateable, which was cancelled after its third season earlier this year.
Lawrence and James will also executive produce with Jeff Ingold and Maverick Carter, in addition to Goldman, Donovan, and Funches.