More Scripted Originals for TV Land

NEW YORK: TV Land has given cast-contingent greenlights to two new pilots, one of which is based on the life of Fran Drescher.

Happily Divorced is written by Drescher (The Nanny) and Peter Marc Jacobsen (The Nanny, What I Like About You). The show is based on Drescher’s real life, looking at how she deals with dating after finding out her husband is gay.

Rip City is written by Terri Minsky (Less Than Perfect, Lizzy McGuire) and executive produced by Michael Hanel (Rita Rocks, Retired at 35) and Mindy Schultheis (Reba, Retired at 35). The multi-camera comedy takes place at Rip City Cola, a regional beverage manufacturer and distributor. When a young, Ivy League-educated female takes over the company as boss, the entire office, and particularly a confident man in his 50s, is unsure of what happens next.

These pilots join the previously announced Ex Men as part of the network’s push to expand its role in the original sitcom landscape.

"TV Land had such a huge success with Hot in Cleveland and we have really found that sitcoms are what our audience loves and responds to," said Larry W. Jones, the president of TV Land. "We want to focus on programming that speaks to relatable life stage issues for our viewers in their 40s."