With the "Arthur" remake–set to be Russell Brand's big leading man coming out party in Hollywood–tanking pretty hard, it looks like the comedian is wisely turning to television in order to build his, uh, "brand" back up. And we have to say at least one of these ideas is a pretty good one.
First up, FX is throwing their hand into the late night battle (sort of), setting up a brand new, six-episode show that will put Brand front and center. Details are still being worked out, but it looks and smells like a talk show format, with Brand hosting the show in front of a live audience, and set to comment on current events, pop culture, politics and more. This is a pretty solid move. As anyone who has seen Brand's stand up will attest, he can be wickedly intelligent and hilarious all at the same time, and with a U.S. election only getting more heated, he'll have plenty of subject matter to tackle. The show will air in the spring (we think it's a safe bet it'll be during sweeps) and we're curious to see what Brand does with a format that presumably gives him a lot of room to play.
Less exciting, Brand has also sold an animated show to Fox who are who are desperate to find something to replace "The Simpsons" when they eventually axe it in a few years. Jonah Hill's "Allen Gregory" didn't quite work out, so they're going with his "Get Him To The Greek" co-star to see if he can work some magic. Brand co-created and will voice the show that will apparently center on his life in his 20s (probably without the drug addiction bit). Eh. Brand is funny and animated in real life already, so animating him seems redundant. Though we suppose this is better than a sitcom or something.
So it looks like Brand will be adding television to his calendar, which also includes a role in Diablo Cody's directorial debut "Lamb Of God." Let's hope these projects put the spring back in his step.