Hot off of “The Soup,” which Joel McHale 
recently wrapped after 12 years of hosting, “The Community” alum has closed a deal to star in CBS’s comedy pilot “The Great Indoors.”
“The Great Indoors,” written by “Tosh.0” creator Mike Gibbons, centers around an adventure reporter named Joel (played by McHale) who must adapt to the times when he becomes the boss to a group of millennials in the digital department of the magazine. Gibbons will also serve as exec producer on the multi-cam comedy, which hails from CBS TV Studios.
McHale’s character of his same name is an outdoorsy guy’s guy with a sardonic sense of humor. The longtime star reporter for “The Great Outdoors” magazine, Joel has climbed mountains, confronted bears and just generally led a life of excitement and adventure, but when he’s sidelined by an injury, he’s forced to take a desk job in the publication’s digital and social media department, surrounded by a team of millennials who view him as an exotic and ancient oddity from another place and time.
For McHale, “The Great Indoors” marks a return to the broadcast sitcom world, following “Community,” which started on NBC before being famously axed and revived by the now-defunct Yahoo Screen. Fans have long been hoping for another season of “Community” or a movie, but insiders have long said the show is done — that, paired with “The Soup” ending, allowed for McHale’s schedule to free up for this pilot season, and he’s been one of the most sought after comedy actors, courting numerous pilot offers from multiple networks.
Since “Community” ended, McHale has appeared on TV in guest roles on “Dr. Ken,” reuniting with Ken Jeong, plus Fox’s current “X-Files” reboot.
