NBC in Talks With ‘Seinfeld’ Alum

Former “Seinfeld” co-star Julia Louis-Dreyfus could be returning to prime time on NBC, though the network has balked at most of the unusual creative provisions the star’s representatives had sought.

NBC has ordered a comedy pilot starring Louis-Dreyfus and written by her husband, writer-producer Brad Hall. Should NBC pick up the series, sources say, Louis-Dreyfus has agreed to do only 15 episodes per season, which is fewer than the 22 episodes that typically comprise a network season and evidently represents a compromise between the actress and NBC. The deal also comes with a heavy financial penalty owed Louis-Dreyfus if NBC passes on the show.

The Louis-Dreyfus script initially went out Jan. 29, without a studio attached, to the four major networks and the pay cable channel HBO, with a Feb. 1 bidding deadline. Attached were various provisions that at least some network executives found insulting, among them that the couple wanted the network to run the series free of commercials and also sought to limit the number of executives who could give input about the show.

The project has since been paired up with Carsey-Werner-Mandabach, the independent production company responsible for “Roseanne” and “3rd Rock From the Sun.” The series is said to have Louis-Dreyfus playing a lounge singer living in Los Angeles in stories told in “real time,” meaning the stories unfold over 22 minutes of actual time.

Hall and Louis-Dreyfus performed together as cast members on “Saturday Night Live” in the early ‘80s. Hall previously created and executive produced “The Single Guy,” which ran on NBC from 1995-97 before being canceled. A sitcom starring another one of the “Seinfeld” co-stars, Michael Richards, already has been canceled by NBC.