Neil Simon’s classic The Odd Couple is possibly making a return to television, with Matthew Perry as the star, co-writer and executive producer for the CBS comedy project.
The Odd Couple will be a new take on the show about two mismatched roommates and will be co-written by Perry and Danny Jacobson. This return will mark Perry’s return to multi-camera comedy filmed in front of a live audience after two single-camera shows — ABC’s Mr. Sunshine and NBC’s Go On were cancelled.
The Odd Couple was first a play that premiered on Broadway in 1965 with Walter Matthau as Oscar and Art Carney as Felix. The play got the ball rolling for a successful 1968 movie, in which Matthau reprised his role of Oscar, according to the New York Post. This then led to a 1970 ABC/Paramount TV series which Matthau did not end up starring in. The show ran for five seasons.
Doing The Odd Couple has been a dream for Perry for 34 years. “Ever since seeing the movie The Odd Couple when I was 10 years old, it has been a dream for me to play Oscar Madison,” he said, according to Deadline. “To be given the opportunity to develop a modern version of it for CBS has put a permanent smile across my face.”
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