‘Alice’ Reboot From Diablo Cody, Liz Astrof Gets Put Pilot Order at Fox

By Joe Otterson

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – A reboot of the classic sitcom “Alice” has received a put pilot commitment at Fox, Variety has learned.

The multi-camera series hails from writers and executive producers Diablo Cody and Liz Astrof. In the series, Long Island housewife Alice Hyatt has finally worked up the courage to leave her cheating husband. She drives cross-country to Arizona with her teenage son Tommy, and gets a job as a waitress at a roadside diner where the staff becomes their new surrogate family.

Cody will executive produce via her Vita Vera Films banner. Warner Bros. Television and will co-produce. Cody is currently under an overall deal at WBTV.

“Alice” ran for nine seasons and over 200 episodes on CBS from 1976 to 1985. The series was itself based on the 1974 feature film “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore” starring Ellen Burstyn and Kris Kristofferson. The original series starred Linda Lavin in the title role, while Vic Tayback reprised his role as Mel from the film. The series famously gave rise to the catchphrase “Kiss my grits.”

This marks the latest broadcast project Cody has set up in the past few years. Last year, the “Juno” scribe was attached to write the FBI drama series “Two Nights,” while she got pilot orders at ABC for the comedy “Raised by Wolves” and “Most Likely To.” Astrof most recently worked on NBC’s “Trial & Error” and the CBS series “2 Broke Girls.” Her other credits include “The King of Queens,” “Whitney,” and “Becker.”

Cody is repped by WME, MXN, and McKuin Frankel. Astrof is repped by ICM and Madhouse Entertainment.

This marks the latest reboot Fox has put into development this year. Last week, Variety reboot of “Kung Fu,” reported that the broadcaster had brought on Albert Kim to write the Greg Berlanti-Sarah Schechter produced with the new version set in the modern era and featuring a female lead.