Jodie Foster Developing TV Comedy About Alcoholism

Oscar-winning actor-director Jodie Foster will serve as executive producer on a new single-camera half-hour comedy for cable television called Charlie, which will be about an alcoholic on an unusual path to recovery.

Foster developed the series at Sony TV with Big C creator Darlene Hunt, who may also direct the pilot. According to the logline, Charlie concerns a “self-destructive, emotionally-stunted alcoholic” who decides to turn her life around after “rescuing a dog she believes to be her reincarnated mother.” Casting choices for the lead, and the dog, have yet to be announced.

Foster, who has directed three features, including Little Man Tate (1991) and the cult oddity The Beaver (2011), recently received Emmy and Directors Guild of America award nominations for helming episodes of House of Cards and Orange is the New Black.

Hunt, who was also a writer and actress on Parks and Recreation, earned a Golden Globe nomination for The Big C on Showtime. Their prospective series is the latest in a string of network and cable programs to address the issues of alcoholism and addiction, from dramas like Breaking Bad and Mad Men to broader comic shows like Mom and Shameless.