ABC Orders Imaginary Friend Pilot from The Goldbergs Creator

ABC has picked up the pilot for a new family comedy from Adam F. Goldberg, creator of The Goldbergs TV series on ABC. Still untitled, the story features an adult woman whose imaginary friend comes back into her life.

Executive Producers Goldberg and David Guaracio will write the pilot for Sony Pictures Television. Also executive producing are Doug Robinson and Patrick Osbourne. Update 5/13/2016: ABC has ordered the show to series, with the title Imaginary Mary.

THR reports:

The untitled single-camera comedy centers on a 30-something bachelorette whose life is turned upside down when she finally meets the love of her life — a divorced father with three kids. This triggers even more upheaval when the slightly unhinged imaginary friend she created as an only child suddenly reappears in her life to help her navigate the transition from single girl to a woman ready for a family.

The comedy is considered a blend of live-action and CGI animation and landed at ABC with a hefty pilot-production order with a series penalty attached in October.

Here is more, from Deadline:

ABC landed the project in October after a bidding war by giving it a pilot production order with a series penalty attached. The producers have already been planning ahead on the pilot and exploring casting though a network always wants to reserve final judgment until after they see a script. Now the pilot green light is officially official.

There is a major change in the premise of the show from the time it was pitched. The lead, originally a thirtysomething bachelor, is now a thirtysomething bachelorette. The switch of the lead from a male to a female sets the project further apart from Fox’s recently picked up live-action/animated comedy series Son Of Zorn, in which a guy interacts with his animated long-gone father, and Seth MacFarlane’s Ted. Somewhat reminiscent of CBS’ Angel From Hell, it also would be a good fit with ABC’s female-skewing lineup

[…]The imaginary friend was conceived as a CGI creation in a live-action environment. […]

ABC had been considered a natural home for the project as the network carries The Goldbergs –now in its third season — and is a sibling to the Walt Disney Animation Studios, where Osborne comes from.

Osborne, who worked as animator on such Disney movies as Bolt, Tangled and Wreck-It Ralph, made his writing and directing debut with the studio’s 2014 animated short Feast, which won an Oscar last year.

From ABC

Working in both film and television, Adam Goldberg’s screenplay credits include “Fanboys,” “The Jetsons,” “Aliens in the Attic,” “The Muppet Wizard of Oz,” “Revenge of the Nerds,” “How to Train Your Dragon” and the upcoming movies “Flat Stanley,” “The Berenstain Bears” and “Atlantis 3D.” He also created the TV series “Breaking In” and has written on such shows as “Community,” “Aliens in America” and “Still Standing.”

A New York University graduate, Goldberg lives in Los Angeles.

Did you have an imaginary friend, when you were a kid? What would you do if he or she came back into your adult life? What do you think about the premise of this new TV show? Tell us!