While Showtime has been quiet for a while on any news following its decision to move forward with its show Happyish after the death of its star Philip Seymour Hoffman, the network has finally announced a replacement for the show’s main role.
Showtime adds shows starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Maura Tierney
Steve Coogan has been revealed as the new star of the Showtime half-hour comedy, with a new pilot to be shot in New York City in December of 2014. A pilot had previously been shot with Hoffman in the starring role, backed by a supporting cast that included Kathryn Hahn and Rhys Ifans.
Ten episodes of the show had originally been ordered shortly before Hoffman’s death in February, but the network has remained relatively mum on the project’s future since then. There is no word about whether any members of the original cast will return.
Coogan will star as Thom Payne, a 44-year-old whose boss is only 25. Dealing with a world he doesn’t quite understand, Payne deals with the question of whether he should rebrand himself to fit in with a younger demographic or if just settling for a “happyish” life is the best he can hope for.
Happyish comes from This American Life‘s Shalom Auslander, with Ken Kwapis on board to executive produce as well as direct the pilot.
