We're Emotionally Invested In This New Funny Lady Show

By Irin Carmon | July 30, 2010 | 7:43pm

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File under ridiculously exciting: Lizzy Caplan (Party Down, True Blood, Mean Girls) is co-developing an adaptation of Julie Klausner‘s funny, dirty, feminist memoir, with Will Ferrell’s production company for HBO. And Julie just told us a little more about it.

Bette Midler said in a recent interview, “There are a lot of funny women out there but they’re not in the movies because there are not that many funny women [characters] in movies any more – they’re mostly carrying coffee for the iron man.” She added: “But on TV there are a lot of funny women, tons and tons of funny women – and all you have to do is turn on the television. So that’s still fabulous.”

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That’s true in comedy as well as in drama, where TV (mostly cable) has already providing more complex and interesting parts for women. And there are some recent, encouraging signs that HBO is trying to do its part (after a rather disappointingly bromancey season): in addition to developing Klausner’s book, I Don’t Care About Your Band, for a possible series, there’s Tilda, starring Diane Keaton and Ellen Page, development of Mara Altman’s book about trying to have an orgasm, and a new show for Laura Dern, to name a few.

Klausner described the story to us just now as being about “women who are looking for love who are completely confident about sex, their jobs, their ambitions. They want everything and they’re not apologizing, and they’re just genuinely disappointed with the offering of the guys out there they would have wanted to fall in love with after they had sex with them…. It’s the sexuality of modern feminism. It’s not postfeminism. It’s modern love.”

It’s true that entertainment, including HBO with shows like Bored To Death and at one point, Flight Of The Conchords, is familiar with these undermotivated dudes. The difference here? “It puts the girl dating the omega male in the center of the action. You see it from her point of view,” said Klausner. “It’s a truth in comedy thing. This would be true to that experience. I was writing from my marrow.”

Caplan and Jessica Elbaum of Gary Sanchez (the same production company behind Funny Or Die) were instrumental in making it all happen, Klausner said. “I loved Sex And The City, but it’s fanfiction,” she says. “And now there are women who are like, ‘Maybe 10 years ago we were assistants, but now we’re making television that girls are going to relate to.’ Not to disparage Carrie, but you can’t afford that apartment in your twenties when you’re a freelance writer.”

And Klausner couldn’t be happier that Caplan would be playing the version of her. “Lizzy is a rare example of this sexy, funny, awesome girl that guys and girls like.”

We agree, and would defer on this point to occasional Jezebel contributor Lindsay Robertson: “Just to be clear, every time I say I have a “crush” on Lizzy Caplan, I’m not talking about a “girl crush.” I don’t want to go shopping with her or borrow her shoes or talk about boys, understand? Get it? Just so there’s no confusion.” Not to mention how fearlessly hilarious she is in this Jimmy Kimmel spot.

And here she is in a Funny Or Die parody of True Blood.

Mummy! from Lizzy Caplan

HBO Develops ‘Band’ Comedy With Will Ferrell, Adam McKay and Lizzy Caplan [Deadline Hollywood Daily]
Julie Klausner [Official Site]

Earlier: Fine Bromances: Where Are HBO’s Shows About Women?