NBC, U plan sitcom for Brennans

By JENNY HONTZ

NBC and Universal are developing a sitcom with comedian brothers Neal and Kevin Brennan for fall 1998. NBC has ordered a pilot script for the project, which stars standup comedian Kevin Brennan and is written by both Kevin and Neal. Both brothers will co-executive produce the project, as will Mark Driscoll, who shared an Emmy for writing the "coming out" episode of "Ellen."

The sitcom will be based on the lives of the brothers, who grew up in an Irish-Catholic family with 10 kids in Philadelphia. The premise is that you can never escape the influence of your upbringing, especially if you are used to fighting for everything "from attention to dinner," according to one executive familiar with the project.

Neal Brennan recently wrote U's Dave Chappelle film "Half-Baked." Kevin Brennan, a newcomer to TV, has worked on the standup comedy circuit for years and has appeared twice on "The Late Show With David Letterman."

The six-figure script deal with penalties was made by UTA agents Ruthanne Secunda and Billy Rose, as well as manager Abbe Leviton and attorney Nina Shaw.