Hulu is adapting the 1992 John Ritter comedy Stay Tuned into series that will star Josh Gad & Andrew Rannells. The film, which also starred Pam Dawber of Mork & Mindy fame, followed Roy and Helen, a couple who get sucked into their TV’ and into Hellvision, a realm run by Spike, who is an emissary of Satan. For 24 hours, they must survive devilish parodies of TV programs if they want to return to reality alive.
Since sharing the stage in the successful 2011 Broadway musical The Book of Mormon, actors Gad and Rannells—who have been nominated for Tony Awards—have maintained a close friendship. They came together again for the 2023 production Gutenberg! The Musical, in addition to their cameos in History of the World, Part II with around 100 other actors, this marks their initial collaboration on screen.
“For over a decade Andrew and I have been the Laverne and Shirley of our generation (according to our mothers.),” Gad said. “It only makes sense to now do a TV series where we can literally do an episode as ‘Laverne and Shirley’ (assuming the rights to those characters aren’t prohibitively expensive and that the algorithm rewards ‘Laverne and Shirley’ viewership.)”
Added Rannells, “Personally, Josh and I have always reminded me more of a Sam and Diane or at times a Cagney and Lacey, but either way, I am thrilled we are reuniting once again! This time with Akiva, Greg and Jordan, who seem even more unhinged than we are.”
The original Stay Tuned received mixed reviews from critics and was a commercial failure grossing $12 million. The highlight of the film was an animated segment, in which Roy and Helen are transformed into cartoon mice, which was directed by animation great Chuck Jones.
There is no word as to when Stay Tuned will premiere.
Source: Deadline