“Orange Is the New Black” star Natasha Lyonne, “Sleeping with Other People” writer-director Leslye Headland, and “Parks and Rec” alumna and national treasure Amy Poehler are teaming up on a new project for the small screen. An untitled comedy series the trio created has received a straight-to-series order from Netflix. Lyonne will star in the eight-episode series, and will also pen it alongside Headland. A press release from the streamer announced the glorious news.
Hailing from Universal Television, the series follows Nadia (Lyonne) “on her journey as the guest of honor at a seemingly inescapable party one night in New York City,” according to the project’s logline. Lyonne, Poehler, and Headland all serve as executive producers.
“So excited to get cracking with the intensely brilliant Leslye Headland, the GOAT with a heart of gold Amy Poehler, and Netflix, the safe haven I’ve been searching for since the ’80s,” said Lyonne. “Deeply moved to work with such heavy hitters and to share our show with the world.”
Headland added, “These women are heroes of mine and to work with them at a company that promotes originality and creativity is a thrill.”
“Natasha’s humor, humanity, and depth have connected with audiences around the world on ‘Orange Is the New Black,’” said Cindy Holland, Vice President, Original Content for Netflix. “With this new series, she, Leslye, and Amy are creating an ambitious and uniquely formatted comedy that will have viewers guessing as much as they will be laughing.”
No word on when to expect the series, but if Headland’s other projects are any indication, we can expect some dark and frank comedy. “A lot of people think that I’m trying to be shocking with my dialogue or subject matter,” the “Bachelorette” writer-director has told us. “That’s not my goal when I go into a project. I focus on darker things or bad behavior or explicit dialogue because creatively I am more interested in my mistakes and why I made them than my good deeds and my achievements.”
It seems very likely that at least one — but possibly all three — of the show’s creators will direct episodes of the new series. Headland has two features under her belt, Poehler has helmed episodes of “Parks and Recreation” and “Broad City,” and Lyonne directed her first short this year, “Cabiria, Charity, Chastity.”
