HBO has landed the half-hour comedy Alan Opts Out for development, beating out other bidders in a competitive situation, according to a Deadline exclusive published on 30 July 2026. The project comes from writer Emily Kapnek, Bill Lawrence's production company Doozer, and Warner Bros. Television. (Deadline)

The series is based on a comedic novel of the same name by Courtney Maum, published roughly one month before the Deadline report. Kapnek wrote the adaptation and will serve as executive producer and showrunner — the person who runs the writers' room and oversees day-to-day creative decisions. Lawrence, Jeff Ingold, and Liza Katzer executive produce through Doozer, and Maum also holds an executive producer credit. Warner Bros. Television is the studio.

The deal deepens an already productive relationship between Doozer and HBO. Doozer's first HBO comedy, Rooster, starring Steve Carell and co-created by Lawrence, was renewed for a second season after strong early ratings. (Deadline)

Lawrence is under an overall deal at Warner Bros. Television, meaning the studio funds his company's development across all platforms rather than for a single show. Doozer's slate extends well beyond HBO: Ted Lasso, Shrinking, and Bad Monkey run on Apple TV+, a Scrubs reboot is set up at ABC, and the upcoming I Suck At Girls is headed to Netflix.

Kapnek is a seasoned comedy creator. Her previous credits include ABC's Suburgatory, Selfie, the American adaptation of Splitting Up Together, and Emily's Reasons Why Not, which she co-created. She is represented by CAA, Brillstein Entertainment Partners, and Johnson Shapiro Slewett & Kole. Lawrence is represented by CAA and Yorn, Levine, Barnes. Maum is represented by UTA.

Alan Opts Out is now in development at HBO, meaning the network has commissioned a script and attached creative leads, but has not yet ordered a pilot or a full series. The project's next step will be whether HBO chooses to move it forward toward production.