Netflix has today agreed a deal with Judd Apatow — creative mind behind such comedy hits as Knocked Up and The 40-Year-Old Virgin — to secure his in-development TV show for a two-season run on the streaming service.
Entitled Love, the half-hour show will follow the relationship of Gus (Paul Rust) and Mickey (Community’s Gillian Jacobs) as they each navigate the trials and tribulations of modern day life. Rust also helped pen the sought-after script, alongside Brooklyn Nine-Nine scribe Lesley Arfin and Judd Apatow himself.
Upon completing the deal, Ted Sarandos — Netflix’s Chief Content Officer — spoke highly of the show, which is to be produced by Legendary TV.
“Judd Apatow has a unique comedic voice that manages to be delightful, insightful and shockingly frank — often at the same time,”“Together with Paul and Lesley, he’s bringing a whole new level of agony and ecstasy to this modern-day comedy of manners.”
Undoubtedly, Apatow’s track record in the medium likely helped seal the deal with the streaming juggernaut — having worked on Freaks and Geeks, Undeclared and, more recently, Girls for HBO. After all, Netflix hasn’t signed up a show under a two-season agreement and ordered it straight-to-series since it nabbed House of Cards, which highlights the degree of confidence that the company has placed in the nascent project.
Joining the likes of Orange is the New Black and the recently-released and wonderfully eccentric Bojack Horseman, Love will certainly strengthen Netflix’s comedic roster.
The first season of Judd Apatow’s Love will run for a ten-episode stint exclusively on Netflix in 2016, before a second season the following year.
