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The upcoming comedy series “Strikes,” set in the world of cricket, has tapped the writing team of Josh Kirby and Jonathan Veles to pen the pilot, Variety has learned exclusively.
The series was first reported to be in the works back in February. As reported at the time, it is hails from co-creators Dana Abraham and “Queer Eye” star Bobby Berk. Both are also attached to star in the series along with Shaun Majumder and Nazanin Mandi.
The series is gearing up for production under Abraham’s Red Hill Creative banner, with plans to soon take it out to studios and buyers. Tony Williams joins Abraham as producer, while Berk, Jacob Silvera, Majumder and Danny Treibatch round out the executive producing team.
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“They bring the experience and elevated comedy to the unique story, with such love and care for the culture and sport of cricket,” said Abraham. Berk added, ““The pair are fearless, they’re funny, and they’ve already created moments that’ll have fans quoting the characters for years to come, only furthering the impact of our show globally.”
Kirby and Veles initially met as performers aboard a cruise ship. They have since come back to shore and worked together as a writing team on shows like the hit sitcoms “The Real O’Neals” and “Fresh Off the Boat.” They have also developed projects with Universal Television, Spectrum, and Amazon. Previously, they developed their Sundance-selected pilot “Rock the Boat,” based on their real experiences, as a project at Max with Greg Berlanti.
They are repped by Range Media Partners, UTA, and Ziffren Brittenham.
The official description of “Strikers” states that it “follows Amar Farooqi (Abraham), a former MLB pitcher whose career-ending injury leads him back to his South Asian roots via the cricket field. When steel company heir AJ Joshi (Majumder) and his publicist niece Maya (Mandi) recruit him to revitalize their struggling cricket team, the Steel City Strikers, Amar finds an unexpected second chance at sports glory, guided by his struggling but well-connected manager Mickey (Berk).”
