HBO Buys New Broadway-Themed Comedy 44th Street

HBO has bought 44th Street, a new Broadway-themed TV comedy by Paul Simms (NewsRadio), according to Deadline.com. Broadway was also the inspiration for the rejected 2010 HBO pilot The Miraculous Year, which featured Norbert Leo Butz and Patti LuPone, and was directed by Kathryn Bigelow.

44th Street is a single-camera comedy that centers on two veteran theater actors struggling to find success in a world of upstarts and critics. No word yet on casting or if and when the pilot will be filmed.

Simms is best known as the creator and head writer for the NBC sitcom NewsRadio, which aired from 1995-1999. Simms began his working relationship with HBO as a writer for The Larry Sanders Show. He continued working with the network as director and producer for the series The Flight of the Conchords and writer for the hit Boardwalk Empire. He is also a contributor to The New Yorker.