Fox has made its first series pickups of the season for three half-hours.
The network has ordered to series Ned Fox Is My Manny, a half-hour comedy based on the life of writer/executive producer Dana Fox's brother, Ben.
The single-camera comedy stars Dakota Johnson as a single mother who gets an assist from her brother (The Descendants scribe Nat Faxon) who moves in with her to help raise her baby. Lucy Punch, Maggie Jones and Echo Kellum co-star in the single-camera comedy from 20th Television and Chernin Entertainment.
Fox penned the pilot and will exec produce alongside Peter Chernin and Katherine Pope. Jake Kasdan directed the pilot.
From How I Met Your Mother scribes Carter Bays, Craig Thomas and Chris Harris, The Goodwin Games stars Becki Newton, Scott Foley and Jake Lacy as siblings who inherit their late father's fortune -- if they agree to his terms. The single-camera family comedy hails from 20th Television and co-stars Felisha Terrell and Melissa Tang. The HIMYM trio created the project with Newton in mind after the actress guest starred on their CBS hit, which has already been renewed for next season. The project marks Foley's return to a starring role on series television following a multiepisode turn on ABC's Grey's Anatomy; he'll also be recurring this season on HBO's True Blood. His Felicity co-star, Scott Speedman, co-stars in ABC's Shawn Ryan drama pilot The Last Resort, which has been garnering positive buzz.
The Office's Mindy Kaling stars as a young Bridget Jones-type doctor as she tries to navigate her personal and professional life in Mindy. Kaling will depart the NBC staple to focus on writing, executive producing and starring in the comedy, a passion project for the actress. The Office's Howard Klein will executive produce alongside Kaling and her now-former co-star, BJ Novak, who served as an EP on the pilot. Ed Weeks, Chris Messina, Anna Camp, Zoe Jarmon and Dana DeLorenzo co-star, while Bill Hader, Ed Helms and Richard Schiff will guest star in the pilot. From Universal Television, the single-camera comedy was is considered a big pickup for the studio as it was one of only a handful of off-network projects ordered to pilot this development season.
The Fox order comes after NBC has already picked up six comedies to series.
