Fox has given a late pilot order to Chad: An American Boy, a single-camera Middle Eastern family comedy co-created by and starring Saturday Night Live alumna Nasim Pedrad and directed by Jason Winer.
Written by Pedrad & Rob Rosell, Chad centers on a 14-year-old boy (Pedrad) in the throes of adolescence is tasked with being the man of the house, which leaves him with all the responsibilities of being an adult without any of the perks. Pedrad, Rosell and Winer executive produce with 3 Arts’ Michael Rotenberg and Dave Becky. 20th Century Fox TV is the studio.
“I’m thrilled to be able to portray a Middle Eastern family not working for or against Jack Bauer on network TV,” said Pedrad, who is Iranian American. “Also, a big thank you to Fox for understanding that my true essence is that of an awkward and misguided 14-year-old boy.”
Pedrad’s remark, which references the protagonist in Fox’s terrorism drama 24, echoes President Barack Obama’s recent comment during a visit to a U.S. mosque that “our TV shows should have muslim characters that are unrelated to national security.”
Pedrad is known for playing a slew of little-kid characters on Saturday Night Live and FunnyOrDie, including Indian boy Ravish on SNL. But as Chad, she is expected to give a much more grounded and realistic performance, not the caricature characters in sketches usually are. To help get the tone right, the project has brought in Winer, who directed the pilot for Modern Family, a single-camera family comedy with a lot of heart.
Chad stems from the deal Pedrad signed with Fox and 20th TV last spring to create and topline her own comedy series. Nasim has been in demand — while she was awaiting word from Fox on the fate of her project, the actress was approached to star in other pilots this season.
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