Netflix Greenlights Stoller’s ‘Friends From College’

Netflix has ordered the comedy Friends From College from husband and wife team Nick Stoller and Francesca Delbanco. The couple will be executive producers and writers, and Stoller will direct all eight episodes in the order.

The series stars Keegan-Michael Key (Key & Peele) and Cobie Smulders (How I Met Your Mother), among others, as a group of Harvard pals in their 40s who are dealing with professional and domestic successes and failures. Netflix calls it a “comedic exploration of old friendships, former romantic entanglements and balancing adult life with nostalgia for the past.”

“Nick is a comedic mastermind. With Friends from College, he and Francesca have created a world that is both moving and very, very funny,” said Cindy Holland, Netflix VP of original content. “We are thrilled to be working with them and this incredible cast, and look forward to audiences around the world laughing with and at these relatable characters.”

Delbanco and Stoller both attended Harvard. Stoller’s directorial projects include the feature Neighbors and sequel Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising. His TV work includes The Carmichael Show and The Grinder.

Production on Friends From College starts this fall in New York.

Michael Malone

Michael Malone, senior content producer at B+C/Multichannel News, covers network programming, including entertainment, news and sports on broadcast, cable and streaming; and local broadcast television. He hosts the podcasts Busted Pilot, about what’s new in television, and Series Business, a chat with the creator of a new program, and writes the column “The Watchman.” He joined B+C in 2005. His journalism has also appeared in The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Playboy and New York magazine.