British comedy favourite Nick Frost will headline a new sitcom for ABC, which is being developed by Ben Karlin (Modern Family). The Spaced alum has had a busy time of late, balancing feature films such as The Boxtrolls and Cuban Fury, with television work such as Phineas And Ferb and Mr Sloane – but The Finger might just see his career enter a new phase.
The show will centre on Nick Ferguson (Frost), who is also known as ‘The Finger.’ He is the world’s most infamous jewel thief and, in reassessing his lifestyle, he decides that he wants to retire from his life of crime and spend more time with his nine year old son. He still needs a business, of course, so he opens a sandwich shop. The show will follow his subsequent transition from one high pressure lifestyle to another – albeit a more legitimate one.
Nick Frost will apparently be co-writing the project with Karlin, which will heighten anticipation for the show on both sides of the Atlantic. Frost has a very specific comedic voice – something to which fans of Edgar Wright’s Cornetto Trilogy can attest – and his writing skills were previously showcased in the script he co-wrote with Simon Pegg, for 2011’s Paul. Match that voice with that of Modern Family’s Ben Karlin, and you have a very heady comedy cocktail indeed.
The premise of The Finger has all the elements you could wish for in a successful sitcom. A non-violent criminal trying to change his ways, a dysfunctional father-son relationship in need of repair, a location that involves interacting with strange members of the public, a mid-life crisis, and the classic ‘fish out of water’ trope. The key to solidifying that potential will be in the casting – not least of the jewel thief’s nine year old son.
As ever, We Got This Covered will keep its ear to the ground for further developments.
