NBC Orders Comedy Pilots From Jim Jefferies, ‘Superstore’ Creator Justin Spitzer

By Joe Otterson

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – NBC has picked up a pair of comedy pilots for the 2020-2021 season.

The first is the multi-cam “Jefferies,” which will star Australian comedian Jim Jefferies as a fictionalized version of himself. Jefferies will also write and executive produce along with Suzanne Martin. Sean Hayes and Todd Milliner of Hazy Mills will also executive produce along with Tim Sarkes and Alex Murray of Brillstein Entertainment Partners. Universal Television, where Hazy Mills and Martin are under overall deals, will produce.

Jefferies most recently hosted “The Jim Jefferies Show” for Comedy Central, which ran for three seasons. He also co-created and starred in the FX single-camera comedy series “Legit,” in which he also played a version of himself. His most recent comedy special, “Jim Jefferies: This Is Me Now,” was released on Netflix in 2018.

Jefferies is repped by UTA and Brillstein. Martin is repped by Hansen Jacobson.

The second pilot is the single-cam “American Auto,” which hails from “Superstore” creator Justin Spitzer. It is described as a workplace comedy set at the headquarters of a major American automotive company in Detroit, where a floundering group of executives try to rediscover the company identity amidst a rapidly changing industry.

Spitzer will write and executive produce with Aaron Kaplan of Kapital Entertainment also executive producing. Universal Television will produce.

“” — which stars America America Ferrera, Ben Feldman, Lauren Ash, Colton Dunn, Nico Santos, Nichole Bloom and Mark McKinney — is currently in the midst of its fifth season. The series has been well-received by critics during its run and is widely expected to return for a sixth season.

Spitzer is repped by Brillstein Entertainment Partners and Morris Yorn.

(Pictured: Jim Jefferies)