Katie Couric, who co-anchored “The Today Show” from 1991-2006, is producing a morning news comedy series starring Michelle Pfeiffer. The untitled show, which is currently looking for a cable or online home, is created by Diane English, whose “Murphy Brown” lasted 10 years.
It seems like the entertainment world has always been in love with TV shows and movies about TV news – local and national – and no matter the time of day. The groundbreaking “Network” won four Oscars in 1976, and many believe that it should’ve beaten “Rocky” for Best Picture honors. 1987’s “Broadcast News” was nominated for seven Academy Awards and features that iconic Albert Brooks “sweating on the air” scene. Then there’s the cult classic “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy” (2004)”, along with its solid 2013 follow-up.
The comedy, “Morning Glory”, an underrated gem from 2010, starred Rachel McAdams as the new producer of a struggling network morning show led by co-anchors Harrison Ford and Diane Keaton. And most recently, “Nightcrawler” captivatingly took us deep into both the local LA news and crime worlds, with an unforgettable performance by Jake Gyllenhaal and Rene Russo in an excellent supporting role.
Notable examples on the TV side start include “The Mary Tyler Moore Show”, Aaron Sorkin’s HBO drama “The Newsroom”, where relationships, sadly, overpowered the actual news, and even Kent Brockman’s escapades on “The Simpsons”. And before Chris Lloyd and Steve Levitan created America’s #1 Comedy, “Modern Family”, they delved into local TV news with the short-lived but superb FOX comedy “Back to You”, starring Kelsey Grammer, Patricia Heaton and Fred Willard, as well as a pre-“MF” Ty Burrell and a pre-“Frozen” Josh Gad. It’s unfortunate the show only lasted a year (bad timing with the ’07-’08 “Writers’ Strike” season), but all of its 17 episodes were sharp and hysterical.
Couric’s going to have a tough time equaling the quality of these shows, but she’s certainly got the hands-on experience factor on her side.