TV star Matthew Perry is bringing a modern version of Neil Simon’s classic comedy The Odd Couple to CBS, according to Deadline. The Friends alum is set to star and excutive produce the series, as well as write the pilot with Danny Jacobson (Mad About You).
The story follows two incompatible roommates, the slob, Oscar Madison (Perry) and the neat freak Felix Unger. “Ever since seeing the movie The Odd Couple when I was 10 years old, it has been a dream for me to play Oscar Madison,” said Perry. “To be given the opportunity to develop a modern version of it for CBS has put a permanent smile across my face.” He added, “The search for Felix Unger is on!”
The Odd Couple premiered on Broadway in 1965 directed by Mike Nichols and starring Walter Matthau and Art Carney. It was adapted into a film in 1968 and later a TV series for ABC. It has been revived twice on Broadway, once in a 1985 production with Rita Moreno and Sally Struthers in a gender-reversed production and in 2005 with Producers stars Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane.