Sara Saedi Memoir ‘Americanized’ in Development as ABC Comedy With Reese Witherspoon Producing

By Joe Otterson

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – ABC is developing a comedy series based on Sara Saedi’s memoir “Americanized,” Variety has learned.

The single-camera series, which will be executive produced by Reese Witherspoon, tells the story of a loving and off-beat Iranian family who’s been living with a huge secret: they’re undocumented immigrants. It is described as a window into the life of a Middle-Eastern household while exploring the universal truths that bond every type of “American” family.

Saedi will pen the series in addition to executive producing. Witherspoon and Lauren Levy Neustadter will executive produce via Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine banner. Studios will produce.

In addition to writing “Americanized,” Saedi has previously written for shows such as “iZombie” at The CW and “The Goodwin Games” at Fox. She is repped by Gersh, Nacelle Company, and Bloom Hergott Diemer Rosenthal Laviolette Feldman Schenkman & Goodman.

This marks the first broadcast project Witherspoon and Hello Sunshine have set up. The company currently produces the critically-acclaimed HBO series “Big Little Lies,” which is prepping its second season. Hello Sunshine also has multiple projects set up at Apple–including the Witherspoon-Jennifer Aniston morning show drama–as well as the drama “Little Fires Everywhere” at Hulu.

Hello Sunshine is repped by CAA and Hansen, Jacobson.

Back in September, Variety reported that ABC was also developing an autobiographical comedy from Maysoon Zayid , with the comedian set to star in and write the series. That project follows the life of a Muslim woman who has Cerebral Palsy (Zayid), as she struggles to find love, the right career, and discover who she is separate of her opinionated Muslim parents.