Showtime Orders Comedy ‘I Love This For You’

Showtime has picked up the half-hour comedy series “I Love This For You,” starring and executive produced by “SNL’s” Vanessa Bayer (“Saturday Night Live”) and featured another “SNL” alum, “Molly Shannon.” The logline: Inspired by Bayer’s own story of overcoming childhood leukemia, “I Love This For You” centers on Joanna Gold (Bayer) who dreams of becoming a host at a home-shopping channel. Working to shed her life-long label as “that cancer girl,” she moves away from her parents, starts a budding romance for the first time in her adult life and forms a meaningful friendship with her idol Jackie, all against the backdrop of a highly competitive workplace run by an unstable billionaire, where people play dirty to succeed.

Shannon appears as Jackie, the charismatic star of the network; Paul James (“Soundtrack”) as Jordan, a charming but dry stage manager; Ayden Mayeri (“Homecoming”) as Beth Ann, an ambitious insecure host; Matt Rogers (“Haute Dog”) as Darcy, the ingratiating right-hand man to the CEO; and Punam Patel (“Special”) as Beena, an offbeat backstage producer.

Bayer co-created the series with Jeremy Beiler (“Saturday Night Live”, “Inside Amy Schumer”), who will executive produce. Jessi Klein (“Inside Amy Schumer”, “Dead to Me”) will serve as showrunner and executive produce along with Michael Showalter (“The Big Sick”, “Wet Hot American Summer”).