IFC announced Wednesday that they have ordered three pilot presentations, including one that is hosted and produced by "Community" creator Dan Harmon. The network has also ordered presentations from Jim Norton and Sara Schaefer.
"These pilots represent an exciting, aggressive move for us into the alternative comedy format space as we continue to expand our programming reach," IFC president Jennifer Caserta said, according to Entertainment Weekly. "All of the talent fits our band so we can't wait for them to bring their individual, distinctive voices to IFC."
Harmon will host "Great Minds," a panel show with a historical twist created by "The Daily Show's" Richard Korson. The show features comedians portraying history's "greatest minds," such as Benjamin Franklin, Albert Einstein, Eleanor Roosevelt and Frederick Douglass, according to The Los Angeles Times.
With his attention now on "Great Minds," the future of Harmon's comedy series "Community" is in limbo. The NBC cult comedy was cancelled by the network after five seasons and then picked up by Yahoo! Screen.
IFC is expanding outside the scripted arena and into the world of panel and late-night talk shows. "Great Minds" is one of the three unscripted pilot presentations to land orders from the network.
Norton, who has made an appearance on several shows including "Inside Amy Schumer" and "Louie," will host an untitled half-hour late-night talk-show, where he chats with guest actors, comedians, musicians and other celebrities.
Schaefer's "1320 Seconds" will follow a news magazine format and will feature an ensemble of female correspondents who comment and look into the cultural zeitgeist, Variety reported.
