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ABC Picks Up Michael J. Fox Comedy

Monday, February 03, 2003

10:00 PM PT

ABC has ordered its first comedy pilot of this development season, and it has a familiar name attached to it: Michael J. Fox.

Fox, who starred on the network's "Spin City" for four seasons in the late '90s, won't be in front of the camera this time. Instead, he wrote the pilot script and will be an executive producer of the show, tentatively titled "Hench at Home."

The show is a family comedy about a newly retired pro hockey player adjusting to being home with his wife and three kids for extended periods of time. It's the result of a production deal Fox struck with ABC and DreamWorks TV; ABC sibling Touchstone TV is also involved.

"The combination of Michael's comedic vision and his unique outlook as a father is so insightful and refreshing," Touchstone TV president Stephen McPherson says.

Fox was an executive producer of "Spin City," but "Hench" is his first attempt at writing. Fellow "Spin" producer Danelle Black and Mitch Hurwitz ("The Ellen Show") are also serving as executive producers.

"Creating and writing a TV comedy is a different kind of adventure in a familiar setting," Fox says. "I'm excited by the chance to do something special here."