Molly Shannon To Star In Comedy Series For HBO From Steve Koren

Steve Koren and Molly Shannon Katheryn Cain/Getty

EXCLUSIVE: Almost 30 years after they first started working together on Saturday Night Live, Molly Shannon and Steve Koren have re-teamed for a comedy series, which is in development at HBO. Shannon and Koren are executive producing the untitled project, written by Koren and starring Shannon.

This is a story about a woman (Shannon) deeply addicted to celebrity news and gossip. After friends and family finally confront her, she agrees to get help. Where? The same place where the stars get help – a fancy celebrity rehab in Malibu. Instead of confronting her demons, she behaves as if it’s the Four Seasons. Once there, she connects with her favorite young starlet and must decide whether to return to her family or join her in Hollywood.

Executive producing alongside Shannon and Koren is Shannon’s longtime manager, Steven Levy.

Shannon and Koren first met in 1995 when they were both on SNL and worked together on a slew of sketches, including Superstar, which was spun off into a movie starring Shannon and written by Koren.

A three-time Emmy nominee, Shannon spent six seasons as a member of the SNL repertory company. She won the 2017 Best Supporting Actress Indie Spirit Award for her performance in Other People, written and directed by Chris Kelly. She then reunited with Kelly, starring in his and Sarah Schneider’s Comedy Central/Max series The Other Two and earning a 2021 Critics Choice Award nomination for her role.

Shannon also starred in Showtime’s I Love That For You, which landed her an Indie Spirit Award nomination. In 2021, she teamed with frequent collaborator Mike White for a scene-stealing guest role in the original installment of HBO’s The White Lotus. Also recently seen in Zach Braff’s A Good Person, Shannon has a season-long arc on the upcoming fourth season of Hulu’s Only Murders In the Building. She is repped by UTA, Framework Entertainment and Hansen, Jacobson, Teller.

In addition to his collaborations with Shannon, Koren also worked closely with Adam Sandler and Will Ferrel on SNL and subsequently served as an executive producer on several of Sandler’s movies, including Grown Ups, Just Go With It, Blended and Pixels. In addition to Superstar, his feature writing credits include Bruce Almighty and Click, which he also produced, and SNL offshoot A Night At the Roxbury.

In TV, Koren worked on NBC’s Seinfeld, HBO’s Veep and, most recently HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm. He is repped by IAG Agency, 3 Arts Entertainment and Matthew Saver.