Tony Winner Ellen Barkin Will Likely Join Andrew Rannells in New NBC Pilot "The New Normal"

By Andrew Gans
10 Feb 2012

Andrew Rannells
Andrew Rannells

Ellen Barkin, who won a Tony Award for her Broadway debut in The Normal Heart, is currently in negotiations to co-star in the new TV pilot "The New Normal," which was recently given the go-ahead by NBC, according to Deadline.com.

As previously reported, the cast will also feature Tony nominee Andrew Rannells, who longs for sunny Orlando but ends up in the less-than-welcoming Uganda in the Tony-winning musical The Book of Mormon.

The 20th Century Fox TV and NBC comedy, co-written by "Glee"'s Ryan Murphy and Allison Adler, will also be directed by Murphy.

The single-camera project is described as "a heartwarming comedy about a blended family of a gay couple and the woman who becomes a surrogate to help them start a family." Barkin would play the mother of the surrogate.

Rannells' previous Broadway outings include leading roles in Jersey Boys and Hairspray. He received a Tony nomination for his performance in Mormon.

Barkin, who made her Broadway debut last season in Larry Kramer's The Normal Heart, took home the Tony Award for Featured Actress in a Play. She was also awarded a 2011 Theatre World Award and Outer Critics Circle Award for her Normal Heart performance.