*Nicole Richie is headed to NBC.
The forthcoming comedy “Great News” has undergone a recasting and tapped Richie to replace Kimrie Lewis-Davis in the pilot, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Inspired by the life of Tracey Wigfield, the comedy follows a mother-daughter relationship that is challenged when an overly involved New Jersey mom (Andrea Martin) interns at her daughter’s (Briga Heelan) workplace, a cable news network.
Richie will play Portia, the hip, young co-host of “The Breakdown,” the cable news show within “Great News.” Sometimes a shrewd social media genius, sometimes a clueless idiot, Portia has little interest in her older co-host’s (John Michael Higgins) hard-hitting traditional vision for the show.
Written by Wigfield, the “30 Rock” alum executive produces the single-camera comedy alongside Tina Fey and Robert Carlock. Beth McCarthy Miller directed the pilot for the series, which is due to bow midseason.
This will be Richie’s first scripted series-regular TV role following “The Simple Life” and “Candidly Nicole” as well as guest gigs on NBC’s “Chuck” and Fox’s “Empire.”