On the day that all of the “How I Met Your Mother” cast members were tweeting about the show’s final table read, we can confirm that Alyson Hannigan is hoping to stick with the network, signing on for a comedy pilot.
CBS’ “More Time With The Family” stars veteran comic Tom Papa, who co-wrote the semi-autobiographical script with Josh Goldsmith and Cathy Yuspa. Papa plays a man who changes jobs in order to spend time with his family, only to discover that nobody in his family particularly wanted that quality time.
I have few additional details other than that Hannigan will play the main character’s wife and that the wife’s name is Cindy.
“More Time With The Family” has some high profile producers beyond Papa, Goldsmith and Yuspa. Matt Damon and Ben Afflect are executive producing through their Pearl Street Films banner. Dave Becky and Josh Lieberman are executive producing for 3 Arts.
In addition to keeping Hannigan at the same network she’s been at since “How I Met Your Mother” premiered back in 2005 — Yes, that means you’re old — this would also keep Hannigan with “HIMYM” studio 20th Century Fox TV. And since “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” was also a 20th Century Fox TV production, that’s a pretty long and successful relationship between an actress and studio.
Hannigan is the second “How I Met Your Mother” actor to land a pilot this week. We previously reported that Cristin Milioti will be playing will be playing the “Z” in NBC’s comedy pilot “A to Z.” Then there was also the much-ballyhooed casting of Greta Gerwig as the lead in semi-spinoff “How I Met Your Dad.”
[It seems somehow hard to imagine any more “How I Met Your Mother” stars taking the pilot route this spring, unless Josh Radnor gets a deal to write, direct and star in something cable-y. And no, a pact to bring Cobie Smulders to “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” for a hypothetical second season wouldn’t count.]
Interested?