NBC Develops Coach Reboot With Ty Burrell in Lead Role
NBC is developing a reboot of Coach, the ABC sitcom that ran for nine seasons, and Modern Family alum Ty Burrell is set to executive produce it and star, Deadline reported on October 21.
"In development" means the network is working on the project. It is the earliest stage a show can reach, and it does not guarantee that episodes will be made.
The original Coach was created by Barry Kemp and aired on ABC from 1989. It was a multi-camera sitcom, meaning it was filmed in front of a studio audience with several cameras running at once. The new version would be single-camera, the style used for most dramas and for Modern Family itself, which is shot more like a film with one camera moving between set-ups.
In the original, Craig T. Nelson played Hayden Fox, head coach of the fictional Minnesota State University Screaming Eagles. He later coached the Orlando Breakers, an NFL expansion team.
The new series centres on a legendary coach, the role earmarked for Burrell. He returns to Minnesota to rebuild his alma mater's basketball program and reconnect with the community he left behind.
The script is by Daniel Libman and Matthew Libman, the brothers behind Peacock's Mr. Throwback, a 2024 sports comedy starring Adam Pally and NBA star Stephen Curry. The Libmans also co-created the YouTube Premium series Champaign ILL and have worked on Happy Endings and Black Monday.
The project is produced by Davis Entertainment and Universal Television. Burrell, the Libmans, John Davis and John Fox are all listed as executive producers, with Universal Television as the studio.
Coach has been revived before. In 2015, NBC ordered a 13-episode sequel from Kemp, set 18 years after the original finale. The network filmed one episode, then decided not to go ahead with the series.
Burrell is best known as Phil Dunphy on Modern Family. He picked up eight straight Emmy nominations for the role, won two Emmys, and earned a SAG Award. According to Deadline, Coach would be his first on-screen role since Modern Family ended. He has recently been part of the voice cast of Fox's animated series Duncanville.
For viewers who grew up with the original, the most visible change is the format. For everyone else, the pitch is a familiar setup: a coach, a small-town school, and a team that needs rebuilding. Whether NBC moves from development to an order of episodes is the next step to watch.
