Roseanne Teaming Up With Roseanne Producer For Roseanne-Like Show

Kevin Winter/Tonight Show/Getty Images  Roseanne Barr

NBC has picked up Downwardly Mobile, Roseanne’s comeback sitcom. Not only will the show return to the Roseanne territory – it’s a multi-camera ensemble set in a mobile home – it’s also brought on board Roseanne writer/executive producer Eric Gilliland as a showrunner. John Goodman! What does your upcoming schedule look like?! Grade: C+ [HR]

Walter Isaacson’s authorized biography Steve Jobs has been picked up by Sony Pictures, with Mark Gordon (Source Code, Saving Private Ryan) on board to produce. Isaacson’s book, which benefits from exclusive access to Jobs’ life, has been moved up from a November 21st to an October 24th release. Noah Wyle! You probably shouldn’t be expecting a phone call any time soon! Grade: B+ [HR]

Drake’s sophomore album Take Care has been moved back from its October 24th to November 15th. On his blog, Drake explains: “So I have completed 19 songs (17 on physical and 2 on bonus), and have run into a roadblock of clearing 3 samples in time to make the October 24th date.” “Also, more time = more sweeeeater shoooooping,” he did not add. Grade: C [Billboard]

CBS has shut down production on How to Be a Gentleman, and will burn off the remaining seven episodes of the rookie comedy in a new Saturday night time slot. Meanwhile, the sixth – sixth! – season of David Spade’s Rules of Engagement will air in Gentleman’s old Thursday slot. This is surely sad news for the series creator/star David Hornsby. On the plus side, though, it’ll give him more time to pursue his true purpose in life: being Rickety Cricket. Grade: B [HR]

The show’s contract disputes have been worked out, and The Simpsons have been re-booked for its 24th and 25th seasons. Apparently, the actors settled for a salary cut of 30% (the network originally wanted 45%) and no slice of the show’s back-end revenues. Glad that’s over: while we won’t necessarily be watching these new seasons, it’s kind of nice to know The Simpsons will still be around. Grade: A [Deadline]

Broken Lizard’s Kevin Heffernan and Steve Lemme have sold the comedy Kept Men to NBC. The duo will write the show, which will revolve around two men who are supported by their wives after their business fails. Does the fact these two are working alone mean there’s dissension in the Broken Lizard ranks?! Stay tuned! Grade: C+ [Deadline]

Rhea Perlman has signed on to Kirstie Alley’s ABC pilot The Manzanis, about an Italian-American family that moves to a New Jersey suburb and clashes with their WASPy neighbors. Alley stars as wife/mother Angela Manzani; Perlman would play her mother in law, Camille. A lot of people are excited about the Cheers-reunion aspect of this, but we like to think of it more as the Sunset Park/Fat Actress crossover we never got. Grade: C [Deadline]

Filed Under: Drake, Grading the Trades, Kirstie Alley, NBC, Steve Jobs, The Simpsons

Amos Barshad has written for New York Magazine, Spin, GQ, XXL, and the Arkansas Times. He is a staff writer for Grantland.

Archive @ AmosBarshad