Dax Shepard will star in and executive produce the Fox comedy pilot Bless This Mess. The single-camera comedy will be an off-cycle pilot, with shooting scheduled to begin in June. The project follows a newlywed couple who give up their drab and unfulfilling lives in New York and moves to Nebraska to live a simpler life. It doesn’t work out like they planned. Shepard will play the husband, Mike. Series co-creator Lake Bell will play the wife, Rio.
Shepard is known for roles in comedies like Without a Paddle, Idiocracy, Employee of the Month, Baby Mama, and This Is Where I Leave You, as well as the Robert Downey Jr.-led drama The Judge. He also starred in the hit NBC series Parenthood throughout its six season run as Crosby Braverman. He also wrote, directed, and starred in the film adaptation of the classic TV series CHIPS in 2017.
New Girl creator Liz Meriwether and Bell will serve as writers and executive producers on Bless This Mess, with Bell also attached to direct in addition to starring. Katherine Pope will also executive produce along with Shepard, with 20th Century Fox Television producing.
