Freeform To Develop Late Night Show

Freeform will dip its toe into the late night waters with the development of a new show starring comedian Iliza Shlesinger.

The show, currently in development, will feature “Iliza’s unique voice that reflects the audience and what’s happening in the moment with a fresh comedic spin,” said network officials.

Shlesinger, Jon Thoday, Richard Allen Turner, David Martin and Kara Baker from Avalon Television (Last Week Tonight with John Oliver and Catastrophe) will all serve as executive producers of the show, said Freeform.

 “We were looking for a voice that speaks to and for our audience, and we have found it in Iliza,” said Karey Burke, executive vice president, Programming and Development for Freeform in a statement. “We weren’t just looking to get into late-night for the sake of it—it’s Iliza’s brilliantly modern take on culture, relationships, and gender politics that made her vision for a series undeniable to us."

R. Thomas Umstead

R. Thomas Umstead serves as senior content producer, programming for Multichannel News, Broadcasting + Cable and Next TV. During his more than 30-year career as a print and online journalist, Umstead has written articles on a variety of subjects ranging from TV technology, marketing and sports production to content distribution and development. He has provided expert commentary on television issues and trends for such TV, print, radio and streaming outlets as Fox News, CNBC, the Today show, USA Today, The New York Times and National Public Radio. Umstead has also filmed, produced and edited more than 100 original video interviews, profiles and news reports featuring key cable television executives as well as entertainers and celebrity personalities.