Please wait...
Please wait...

Cheryl Dolins named Fox Entertainment’s senior VP of comedy as Julia Franz exits

Former 20th Television exec Cheryl Dolins has been appointed senior VP of comedy programming and development at Fox Entertainment, replacing Julia Franz who is moving into a consulting role at the company.

Cheryl Dolins

In the LA-based role, Dolins will be responsible for overseeing the development and production of Fox Entertainment’s comedy slate, including the upcoming comedy series Animal Control, which is Fox’s first wholly owned live-action comedy.

She will also oversee Welcome to Flatch, from executive producers Jenny Bicks and Paul Feig, in addition to multi-camera comedy Call Me Kat, starring and executive produced by Mayim Bialik.

She will report to president of entertainment Michael Thorn.

Dolins was with 20th Television from 2016 to 2020 in the role of senior VP of comedy development. She worked with Thorn prior to him joining Fox Entertainment in 2017.

“Having worked with Cheryl on both the network and studio side throughout our careers, I’ve always been amazed by her ability to identify and shepherd an impressive array of premium comedies that have left their mark on the television landscape. I’m looking forward to once again working with her as we further build Fox Entertainment’s comedy portfolio,” said Thorn.

During her time with 20th Television, Dolins led the development of all studio comedies for streaming, broadcast and cable, including Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building, ABC’s The Wonder Years and Disney+ series The Santa Clauses. Before that, she was senior VP of television development and production at Warner Bros Television-based Alloy Entertainment.

Meanwhile, Franz, who joined Fox Entertainment in 2019, will consult on Animal Control and Welcome to Flatch, providing network and studio creative support to both series. During her tenure with the company, Franz developed Call Me Kat, Pivoting and The Moodys. Franz will stay on in her consulting role until Animal Control wraps production in the spring.

Thorn added: “Julia has been a central player for us during these important, foundational years of Fox Entertainment. The crucial groundwork she has laid will serve us well in the coming years; and having her onboard with Animal Control and Welcome to Flatch helps ensure our continued path to success.”

The announcement comes after last week’s news that Fox Entertainment CEO Charlie Collier is leaving the company to join Roku as president of Roku Media. C21 understands that the two departures are unrelated and Franz stepping down from her role has been in the pipeline for some time.

RELATED ARTICLES

Please wait...