Leanne Morgan‘s current tour is called Just Getting Started, and the 58-year-old comedian is living up to that with a comedy series and two more specials at Netflix. The streamer has given a 16-episode order to an untitled multi-cam sitcom, headlined by Morgan in her TV acting debut and executive produced by top comedy showrunner Chuck Lorre (The Kominsky Method, Bookie). Additionally, Netflix has picked up two more stand-up specials from Morgan following the success of her first one, the 2023 Leanne Morgan: I’m Every Woman.
Co-created by Morgan, Lorre and Susan McMartin, the Untitled Leanne Morgan Project will follow Leanne whose life is upended when her husband of 33 years leaves her for another woman. Starting over when you’re a grandmother and in menopause isn’t exactly what she had in mind, but with the help of her family, she will navigate this new chapter with grace, dignity and jello salad.
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Referred to as “the Mrs. Maisel of Appalachia,” Tennessee native Morgan, a married mother of three and a grandmother, used to sell jewelry door-to-door and started performing in women’s living rooms before embarking on a standup career and making a splash with her 2023 Netflix stand-up comedy special I’m Every Woman. (You can watch a trailer below.) It got the attention of many, including Lorre who flew out to Memphis to meet her and hatch the idea for the show after his agents at UTA and Levity’s Judi Marmel, then a producer on Bookie, helped put her on his radar.
“If you’ve seen even ten seconds of Leanne Morgan’s stand up then you know what a unique comedic force she is,” Lorre said. “The theme of starting over is universal, and I cannot think of anyone better to combine heart and comedy than Leanne. I knew I had to work with her, and I’m so excited to bring this story to Netflix.”
This marks Lorre’s return to Netflix where he co-created and executive produced the multi-camera comedy Disjointed starring Kathy Bates and created/exec produced the Golden Globe Award-winning and Emmy-nominated single-camera The Kominsky Method starring Michael Douglas and Alan Arkin.
The prolific comedy writer-producer previously successfully guided another female standup comedian in her transition to sitcoms as creator and executive producer of Grace Under Fire, headlined by Brett Butler.
“I’ve dreamed of this since childhood, and I can’t believe it has come true! When I started comedy 25 years ago, my goal was to be a part of a sitcom,” Morgan said. “It just goes to show you it’s never too late, and dreams do come true. I’m a grandmama from Tennessee, and now I have a TV show with Chuck Lorre and Netflix. What in the world!?”
What in the World?! also happens to be the title of Morgan’s debut book, set for a September release.
Lorre, Morgan, McMartin and Marmel are executive producing the untitled series, which comes from Chuck Lorre Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television where the company is based.
“We’re so thrilled to deepen our partnership with Leanne Morgan, whose singular and hilarious voice hooked viewers with her debut Netflix special last year, and to reunite with the legendary Chuck Lorre. We’re looking forward to their collaboration on Netflix’s next big comedy series,” said Tracey Pakosta, Head of Comedy, Netflix.
Lorre has created, executive produced or written more than 1,000 episodes of television, spanning the past three decades. Currently, he has comedy series Bookie on Max, which he co-created and executive produces, as well as the departing Bob Hearts Abishola and Young Sheldon on CBS, with a Georgie and Mandy spinoff from Young Sheldon coming to the broadcast network next season. His previous credits also include CBS’s The Big Bang Theory, Mom, Mike & Molly, Two and a Half Men and Cybill as well as ABC’s Dharma & Greg and Roseanne. He is repped by UTA.
Morgan, who transitioned from intimate comedy clubs to arenas following the success of her Netflix special, has a role in the upcoming Will Ferrell-Reese Witherspoon comedy feature Cordially Invited. She is repped by UTA, Levity and Gregg Gellman and Cary Dobkin.
