David Bickel, a TV writer and producer best known for his work on “The King of Queens” and “Young Sheldon,” recently wrote and directed an independently produced a comedy pilot called “To Life.”
Per the official description, “To Life” is a single-camera, half-hour comedy that stars Natalie Lander “an anxiety-ridden woman who suddenly discovers she can communicate with inanimate objects. What begins as a whimsical, magical-realist premise gradually unfolds into an unexpected and unsettling mystery.”
In a trailer for “To Life,” Jason Alexander plays a mental health professional who recommends that Lander’s character tries microdosing hallucinogenic mushrooms to help deal with the death of her mother. Soon — after trying a larger dose than recommended — random items in her home develop animated faces and begin speaking to her, even after the mushrooms wear off.
Jason Alexander and Natalie Lander in “To Life”
Along with Lander and Alexander, the cast of “To Life” includes Patton Oswalt (“The King of Queens”), Richard Kind (“Inside Out”), David Paymer (“Mr. Saturday Night”), John DiMaggio (“Futurama”), Jonathan Mangum (“Whose Line Is It Anyway”), Patrick Warburton (“Seinfeld”), Jodi Benson (“The Little Mermaid”), Nick Bakay (“Sabrina the Teenage Witch”), Tara Strong (“The Fairly OddParents”), Debra Wilson (“Mad TV”), Brad Norman (“The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle”), Nicole Sullivan (“Mad TV”), Cedric Yarbrough (“Reno 911”), Danny Trejo (“Breaking Bad”) and Lainie Kazan (“My Big Fat Greek Wedding”).
Bickel describes the tone of the pilot as “‘Fleabag’ meets ‘Search Party.’” In a statement to Variety, he said, “’To Life’ was born as a reaction to the stagnancy of Hollywood right now. Nothing is getting sold, nothing is getting made, nothing is getting done… So the pivot was: Let’s gather a group of incredibly talented people who were eager to create and let’s make something together. Something sharp and irresistible. I think we pulled it off — it’s something we’re all incredibly proud of, and we can’t wait to share it.”
AJ Prager served as producer on “To Life,” with Matthew Marder as associate producer and first assistant director and Will Turner as cinematographer.
See a trailer for the pilot below.
