CBS has given out a put pilot order for a comedy set in the world of eSports, Variety has learned.
The untitled single-camera series follows a recently retired pro basketball star who attempts to reconnect with his estranged son by buying an eSports franchise. Dan Kopelman will write and executive produce. Aaron Kaplan and Dana Honor of Kapital Entertainment will also executive produce along with Rick Fox. Warner Bros. Television, where Kopelman is under an overall deal, will serve as the studio.
The series is no doubt particularly resonant for Fox, himself a former basketball star who became a co-owner of eSports team “Echo Fox” back in 2015. The team currently competes across a number of titles including “Super Smash Bros.” and “Fortnite.”
Kopelman previously created the CBS comedy series “Me, Myself, and I.” His other credits include “Malcolm in the Middle,” “Big Wolf on Campus,” “Galavant,” and “Rules of Engagement.”
Most recently, it was announced that CBS had given a pilot production commitment to “The United States of Al,” a multi-camera comedy that hails from “The Big Bang Theory” creator Chuck Lorre and “Big Bang Theory” executive producers David Goetsch and Maria Ferrari. That series follows a former Marine who returns home to Iowa, with his Afghan interpreter joining him to start a new life in America.