Kornheiser Sitcom Casts Jason Alexander

Back in January I blogged on Saltire about a new sitcom being produced based on Tony Kornheiser's former Style column in The Washington Post. The pilot for the show had been delayed because former NBC exec Lindy DeKoven, who will be the show's executive producer, ran into problems finding the right person to play Kornheiser. A variety of sources are now reporting that former Seinfeld actor, Jason Alexander, has agreed to play the part.

The show, tentatively titled Shut Up and Listen, will portrait the life of Tony Kleinman, a sports writer who has problems raising teenagers. Jason Alexander's current role as Max Bialystock in The Producers ends in January. The pilot is set to be filmed later this year and if it gets the greenlight expect to see it sometime next year.

Tony Kornheiser has been a sports columnist for decades and has recently made forays into television. Kornheiser also hosts a nationally syndicated radio program, The Tony Kornheiser Show, on ESPN Radio. The show has been on the air since 1998, and is heard on 243 stations and reaches 1.35 million listeners each week. Kornheiser is also the co-host of ESPN's television program Pardon the Interruption. PTI averages 370,000 viewers each day. Kornheiser began writing in the Style section on November 12, 1989, but ended its run on September 30, 2001 to keep his sanity while adding Pardon the Interruption to his weekly routine.

Having read Kornheiser in print for years, listened to his radio show daily, and been a fan of PTI from the start I think Jason Alexander is a perfect fit for the role of Mr. Tony. If you want to get an idea of what the show might be like just read The Post's archive of Kornheiser's Style column.