ABC passes on Jo Koy's Filipino American sitcom 'Josep'

INTAGRAM / TESS PARAS

The cast of the 'Josep' pilot starred Filipino American comedian Jo Koy, far right.

The world will have to wait a little bit longer for a TV series about a Filipino American family. Josep, a sitcom starring wildly popular standup comedian Jo Koy is getting picked up by ABC.

ABC ordered the pilot for Josep last year and production began (and ended) in Vancouver with an almost all-Filipino American cast playing the friends and family of a recently divorced nurse played by Koy.

Koy starred alongside Mia Katigbak, Rory O’Malley, Kimee Balmilero, Tess Paras, Jason Rogel, Kaden Alejandro. Steve Joe (Young Sheldon) penned the pilot, which was exec produced by Koy, Kourtney Kang (Doogie Kamealoha) and Randall Park.

Paras expressed her disappointment on Instagram: "The thing that hurts is the all-too-familiar pang of narrative scarcity for the Filipino American experience. For me, rooting for this movement of AAPI-led shows feels good. Rooting for a funny, Filipino-led show felt even better. Having a chance to air would have been best ... It’s the first time I’ve ever felt like the right fish in the right pond."

ABC held out a thin thread of hope, with sources saying the series could be "redeveloped," according to Variety. The network reportedly remains  high on the series concept an Koy. The comedian said in an interview if the the show is redeveloped it would retain elements of the pilot.

In the meantime, Koy's feature movie, Easter Sunday, which also centers on a Filipino American family, is set to premiere on August 5.

Koy is best known for his stand-up comedy specials. His  most recent Netflix special “Jo Koy: In His Elements” was taped in the Philippines was first aired in 2020.

Currently on his "Funny is Funny" tour, sold-out performances  will be taped for his fourth Netflix special.

ABC's earlier forays into Asian American -driven shows include Fresh Off the Boat, which finished a seven-year run and boosted the profiles and careers of Randall Park and Constance Wu, and the short-lived Dr. Ken with comedian Ken Jeong.

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