Cabler TV Land will premiere Fran
Drescher's new sitcom Happily Divorced on Wednesday, June 15,
the network announced in a release.
The network also announced that the
show's 10-episode first season had begun production.
“We are so excited to get started on
production of Happily Divorced,” Larry W. Jones, president
of TV Land, said in a statement. “Fran is a comedic icon, and with
the amazing cast and hilarious writing, our viewers are sure to
embrace this addition to our original sitcom line-up.”
In the comedy, Drescher plays a florist
who returns to the single life after finding out her realtor husband
(played by John Michael Higgins, Best in Show) of 18 years is
gay .
The series is based on Drescher's own
life. In 1999, Drescher divorced her husband of 21 years, openly gay
Hollywood producer Peter Marc Jacobson, whom she met in high school.
Drescher and then-husband Jacobson
created and produced the long-running CBS sitcom The Nanny,
which starred Drescher as Fran Fine, a Jewish working class woman
from Queens who creates chaos when she lands a job looking after the
children of an upper class Broadway producer in New York.
Jacobson and Drescher have reunited to
co-produce Happily Divorced.
Also in the sitcom are Valente
Rodriguez, who is best known for playing George Lopez's best friend
in the Emmy-winning ABC comedy George Lopez, and
Rita Moreno (Oz),
who'll play Drescher's mother, and Tichina Arnold (Everybody
Hates Chris).
In a recent Oprah Winfrey Show
appearance, Drescher and Jacobson said they remain good friends to
this day and campaign together for gay rights. Drescher
told Oprah that the couple enjoyed a healthy sex life during their 21
years of marriage.