Frankie Shaw Agrees to ABC Signature Deal

By Daniel Holloway

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Frankie Shaw has signed an overall deal with ABC Signature Studios. Under the two year agreement, the “SMILF” creator and star will develop cable and broadcast projects for the ABC Studios division.

“During the journey of developing and producing ‘SMILF’ with Frankie it quickly became clear that we wanted an ongoing partnership to help build out her company, brand and vision,” said Tracy Underwood, senior VP, , which produces “SMILF” with pay cabler Showtime. “She’s such a brilliant artist with a singular point of view while also proving to be an ambitious, taste making producer.”

The deal will allow Shaw, who is represented by UTA and Karl Austen, to incubate small projects and films as proofs-of-concept for series. “SMILF” began life as an independent short film starring Shaw and Thomas Middleditch before being developed as a series for Showtime.

“ABC Signature has been an incredible partner in bringing ‘SMILF’ to life and I’m so excited to take our relationship to the next level,” Shaw said. “I’m even more grateful for their support in creating a space for new and diverse storytellers.”

Season one of “SMILF,” which premiered last year on Showtime and starred  Shaw and Rosie O’Donnell, was a critical success and drew two Golden Globe nominations — one for best comedy series and another for Shaw as best actress in a comedy series. Season two is currently being shot in Boston.