Hulu orders comedy pilot based on 1996 film The Cable Guy

Hulu has ordered a comedy pilot inspired by the 1996 film "The Cable Guy," starring former "New Girl" co-stars Jake Johnson and Damon Wayans Jr. The untitled project, produced by Sony Pictures Television, will see Johnson and Wayans Jr. playing modern versions of the characters originally portrayed by Jim Carrey and Matthew Broderick.

The show is described as a fresh reimagining rather than a direct remake, drawing a creative comparison to the approach of the "Fargo" television series. The premise updates the film's themes for the current era of streaming entertainment. Johnson will play Chip Douglas, an old-school cable technician who feels increasingly isolated in a world dominated by algorithms and on-demand content. His life changes when Steven Stephens, played by Wayans Jr., calls to have his cable service restored, reconnecting Chip with a childhood friend he never forgot. While the relationship initially fulfills a need for both men, Chip's enthusiasm is expected to spiral into obsession, exploring what the logline calls "the darkly absurd side of modern-day male friendship."

The pilot reunites Johnson and Wayans Jr., who first worked together on the pilot episode of the...