Charlie Kaufman’s ‘How And Why’ Rejected By FX
For a while there, things were looking pretty good forCharlie Kaufman’s return to TV. FX ordered his sitcomHow & Whyto pilot last year, and in short order it managed to attract talents likeJohn Hawkes,Michael Cera,Sally Hawkins, andCatherine Keener.
But now the project has hit a snag. FX is reportedly passing on the sitcom, though producers are still hopeful it’ll get picked up elsewhere. Hit the jump for the latest details.
How & Whystars Hawkes as Goodman Hesselman, said to be the kind of guy “who can describe the ins and outs of a nuclear reactor but is clueless about life.” He has a job hosting a show, but when he starts to lose interest in his work he’s replaced by someone younger. Goodman then packs up and heads to a different town to start a new show which is similarly themed but has less prestige.
Cera plays Goodman’s new boss Mendelson. Hawkins has a co-starring role. Keener, who has worked with Kaufman on several of his films includingSynecdoche New York, is set to guest star. Kaufman wrote and directed the pilot and plans to executive produce the series.
How & Whywas poised to be Kaufman’s first regular TV gig since Fox’sNed & Staceyended in 1997, although he contributed to Adult Swim’sMoral Orelin 2006. His other small-screen credits includeThe Dana Carvey Show,The Edge, andGet a Life.
Sadly,How & Whyisn’t Kaufman’s only recent project to hit a setback. For a few years he was working on a Hollywood satire calledFrank or Francis, which would’ve starred Jack Black and Steve Carell, but that onefailed to pan out.
On the bright side, though,How & Whyis only one of several projects Kaufman has been working on lately. He’s currently putting togetherAnomalisa, a stop-motion-animated feature, and has written drafts ofSlaughterhouse FiveandChaos Walking.
