EXCLUSIVE: Amazon MGM Studios has ordered a pilot for DINKs, an improvisational style multi-cam comedy starring and executive produced by real-life married couple June Diane Raphael and Paul Scheer. Grace & Frankie creator Marta Kauffman is writer, executive producer and showrunner of the project, which is produced by her Okay Goodnight banner, Amazon MGM Studios and Lionsgate Television.
DINKs (Dual Income No Kids) is about Josh (Scheer) and Charlie (Raphael), a couple who, in absence of a marriage or kids, decide to literally build a life together by renovating their nightmare of a dream house.
Alex Fernie is directing the pilot, which Kauffman co-wrote with Hannah K.S. Canter. Kauffman, Canter, Raphael and Scheer executive produce with Okay Goodnight’s Robbie Rowe Tollin. Jesse Schiller serves as a producer and Molly Arkin as a co-producer.
A previous version of DINKs – then called A Lot – with the same creative auspices, including Raphael, Scheer, Kauffman and Lionsgate, was set up at CBS last season where it filmed a presentation as proof of concept. DINKs is not related to a comedy of the same name that was in development at ABC during the 2013-14 season with Raphael co-writing, executive producing and starring.
Raphael and Scheer will pull from their improv background for the pilot, which reunites Raphael with Kauffman after Raphael’s series regular role on Grace and Frankie, which ran on Netflix for seven seasons. Amazon MGM Studios is coming off the success of Amazon Freevee comedy Jury Duty, which also leaned on improvisation. It has not been determined yet which Amazon-owned streaming platform DINKs would be on if it goes to series.
This also marks a return to multi-camera comedy for Kauffman who co-created one of the biggest hits in the genre, Friends. In addition to seven seasons of Grace and Frankie, Okay Goodnight produced the Sundance Film Festival documentary Seeing Allred. Kauffman is repped by WME.
Raphael and Scheer co-host with Jason Mantzoukas the popular podcast How Did This Get Made, which is now a live show touring the country. Raphael also co-hosts The Deep Dive podcast with Jessica St Claire.
Scheer was recently a series regular on Showtime’s Black Monday, on which Raphael recurred. His memoir Joyful Recollections of Trauma will be released May 21 by Harper Collins. Scheer is repped by UTA, Sugar23 and Schreck Rose Dapello.
Raphael’s recent acting credits include arcs on Abbott Elementary, The Morning Show and Based On a True Story. She is repped by UTA, MGMT Entertainment and Ziffren Brittenham.
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