TBS Greenlights Comedy ‘The Guest Book’ and Animated ‘Tarantula”

Turner network has greenlit two new series and ordered another to pilot. Getting straight-to-series orders are “The Guest Book,” an anthology scripted comedy created Greg Garcia (“My Name is Earl,” “Raising Hope”), and produced by CBS Television Studios; and “Tarantula,” from creator Carson Mell (“Silicon Valley”) and Rough House Pictures. “Tarantula” is the network’s first original primetime animated series under the new TBS brand. Both series are slated to launch in 2017.

The scoop on “The Guest Book”: Greg Garcia brings his quirky, signature single-camera comedy to this anthology series centering on a small town vacation home and its visitors. While the house and cast of characters living in this small mountain town remain the same, each episode will feature a different set of guests renting the house. TBS has ordered 10 episodes of “The Guest Book,” all of which are being written by Garcia.

The scoop on “Tarantula”: The series centers on Echo Johnson, a respected but uncertified tattoo artist who delivers absurd yet introspective monologues. Echo’s poetic ramblings spin tales of misadventures with the other residents, as they partake in party crashing, dumpster diving and other socially dubious acts of mischief.

“Tarantula” is created and written by Carson Mell (Silicon Valley). It is a co-production of Rough House Pictures and Turner’s Studio T, with Danny McBride (“Vice Principals”), Jody Hill (“Vice Principals”), David Gordon Green (“Vice Principals”) and Brandon James (“Vice Principals”) serving as executive producers.

TBS has also ordered a pilot for “World’s End,” a scripted comedy from Electus, writer/executive producer Jonathan Ames (“Bored to Death”) and executive producer Ben Silverman (“Jane the Virgin”). Hamish Linklater (“The Big Short,” “The New Adventures of Old Christine”) and Wanda Sykes (“black-ish”) are set to star.
In other programming news, TBS has set Halloween night, Monday, Oct. 31, at 9 p.m. ET for the premiere of its ensemble comedy “People of Earth,” starring Wyatt Cenac (“The Daily Show”).