Divisive comic Andrew Dice Clay is determined to revive his career, and he may have finally secured a path to glory. The Las Vegas stand-up is set to star in a six-episode, half-hour series for Showtime that Variety claims will use Clay’s “rags-to-riches-to-rags trajectory” as “fodder” for the show.
A semi-autobiographical scripted series – there’s an oxymoron – Clay will shoot this summer in Vegas and follow the once-famous superstar as he tries to maintain a family life whilst rebuilding his failing career.
The show was created by writer Scot Armstrong (The Hangover Part II) and Fox 21 TV Studios, with Fox execs apparently funding a presentation for Showtime out of their own pockets. Both Clay and Armstrong will executive produce the series along with Daybreakers‘ duo Sean and Bryan Furst, Richard Shepard and Bruce Rubenstein.
In a press release, Showtime’s Executive Vice President of Original Programming Gary Levine had this to say:
“Love him or hate him, Dice is a true original, and Dice is always funny. After a career full of ups and downs, he’s hotter today than ever. Plus, we were looking to do a semi-autobiographical comedy about a one-named icon and Cher was busy.”
Similarly, Fox 21 TV Studios president Bert Salke threw in his two cents on the show:
“We realized there was a lot of humor and heart in the story of a once-superstar comedian having to crawl back to have a career — a true second act. Sean, Bryan and Richard immediately saw the potential for a series, and we so believed in it that we asked Scot Armstrong to write and direct a homemade presentation — which David and Gary loved so much they ordered it straight to series.”
Andrew Dice Clay last appeared on the big screen in Woody Allen’s 2013 Oscar-winning Blue Jasmine following a stint on the final season of Entourage in 2011.