Amazon MGM links with Friends co-creator Marta Kauffman for improvised multi-cam sitcom

Kauffman co-created Friends, one of the most popular sitcoms of all time

Amazon MGM Studios has pledged to shake up the multi-camera sitcom after striking a deal for a new improvised show from Friends co-creator Marta Kauffman, starring real-life married couple June Diane Raphael and Paul Scheer.

Dinks comes to Amazon MGM Studios through a partnership with Lionsgate and Publicis Media Content Innovation (PMCI), the entertainment division of French multinational advertising and public relations company Publicis Media.

Amazon MGM Studios said the deal “reimagines” the television financing model by bringing together a streamer, a studio and a media agency outside the traditional film and television ecosystem.

The comedy follows a couple played by Raphael (Grace & Frankie) and Scheer (The League) who, in the absence of a marriage or kids, decide to literally build a life together by renovating their nightmare of a dream house.

It is co-created by Kauffman and Hannah K S Canter, and produced by their Okay Goodnight banner, Lionsgate Television and Amazon MGM Studios.

As well as starring, Raphael and Scheer are executive producing the series, with Jon Gabrus (101 Places to Party Before You Die) set as a series regular. Kauffman, Canter, Robbie Rowe Tollin and Jesse Schiller also exec produce.

Kauffman is the writer, producer and showrunner behind classic NBC sitcom Friends and, more recently, Grace & Frankie on Netflix.

“I’ve always said I wouldn’t do another multi-cam unless someone was able to reinvent it. Okay Goodnight and I got tired of waiting, and decided we should do it ourselves,” said Kauffman.

In a joint statement, Lionsgate’s Scott Herbst, executive VP and head of scripted development, and Brad Haugen, exec VP of digital strategy and growth, added: “Marta has crafted a fresh, highly original comedy in Dinks that captures her signature voice and leans into the spontaneity and chemistry June and Paul bring to the screen.”

Eric Levin, chief creative officer at PMCI, said: “Premium storytelling increasingly requires creative partnerships that bring together expertise from across industries. This model combines strategic capital with development expertise to provide an alternative path to greenlight, enabling high-quality projects to move forward in an increasingly competitive marketplace.

“We believe the future of television financing will be driven by partnerships that are as innovative as the content they support, and we’re excited to be able to bring this exclusively to Publicis clients.”