DirecTV Orders Up First Original Comedy Series From ‘Ice Age’ Scribe

Original content continues to grow at the DirecTV. The formerly exclusive satellite provider has picked up Peter Ackerman’s “Things You Shouldn’t Say After Midnight” for a 10-episode run, according to The Hollywood Reporter, marking the network’s first foray into scripted comedy. 

“Midnight” focuses on the romantic relationships of a variety of couples with scenarios based around the idea nothing good comes in the wee hours of the morning. Taking place from dusk ’till dawn in LA, the show will start production in May and be available via DirecTV’s Audience Network later this year.

“As DirecTV continues to bolster the slate of original programming on Audience Network, we are thrilled to present ‘Things You Shouldn’t Say Past Midnight’ as our first foray into comedy,” DirecTV Senior VP of Original Content and Production Chris Long told THR. “We have always placed a high premium on working with talented, prolific writers like Peter Ackerman, who challenge us to raise the bar creatively.”

Ackerman, who will serve as an executive producer along with Nick Hamm for Momentum TV, won a Tony for “The Pajama Game” in 2006. Ackerman has also written screenplays, including “Ice Age” and “Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs.” “Television these days feels like the Wild West, with new players arriving all the time to stake their claim and create their own programming in fresh, new ways,” Ackerman told THR. “Momentum TV and DirecTV are at the forefront of this landscape and I couldn’t be more proud to participate.”

DirecTV has already dipped into original dramatic series with Neil Labute’s “Full Circle” and “Rogue,” starring Thandie Newton.