Showtime picks up Cameron Crowe’s ‘Roadies’

Not content to let HBO have all the music-inspired fun, Showtime has ordered “Roadies” to series with a 10-episode pickup. Written, directed and executive produced by Cameron Crowe, the one-hour comedy will follow the backstage lives of a group of roadies for a touring group called the Staton-House Band.

Following the complicated behind-the-scenes lives of a touring musical group is clearly a topic that Crowe feels passionate about, given his semi-autobiographical film “Almost Famous,” which follows a teenage reporter for “Rolling Stone” and his travels with a beloved band. Crowe was himself a teenage reporter for “Rolling Stone” in the 1970s.

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The series has already compiled an elite group of television experts to executive produce along with Crowe, including “My So-Called Life” creator Winnie Holzman and “Lost” co-creator J.J. Abrams, while the cast stars Luke Wilson and Carla Gugino.

“I’ve long wanted to work with J.J. and Winnie, and coming together to tell these stories has been beyond a blast,” Crowe said in a news release from the network. “Showtime has a great track record with music-based projects, and they’ve been wonderful partners. The actors are all so passionate about music too, and the whole show has the feeling of stories and music shared between friends. We can’t wait to bring it all to life in 2016.”

“Roadies” is set to enter production in early 2016, and to premiere later in the year.

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