Matthew Perry Back on TV in SNL Inspired Drama

Chandler is coming back to TV. And no, he’s not guesting on Joey (thank god). Friends star Matthew Perry has just signed on to star in a new drama from Aaron Sorkin, the creator of The West Wing. Perry will join D.L. Hughley and Steven Weber in the show which is set behind the scenes at a fictional long-running sketch-comedy show (hmm, what could that be?).

Getting Perry wasn’t all that easy. The negotiations took some time, and reports had surfaced not too long ago that Perry was out, and that former Wings star, Steven Weber, was set to play the lead.

The project, previously known as Studio 7 reunites Perry with Sorkin after the actor’s guest stint on The West Wing earned him Emmy nominations in 2003 and 2004. Sorkin has said that he wrote the lead part on this new project with Perry in mind.

One of my favorite people on Earth, Bill Simmons (ESPN) had this to say about the show formerly known as Studio 7:

“I received a copy of Aaron Sorkin’s spec script, “Studio 7” — his secret project that caused near-chaos in Hollywood when he suddenly started shopping it a few weeks ago. Everyone loved it, everyone said great things, and after reading it … I couldn’t agree more. It’s already my new favorite show even though they haven’t started casting it yet — like “Larry Sanders,” only if it was about “SNL.” In a viciously clever way, Sorkin’s pilot script pretty much obliterates SNL and everything that happened to the show over the past few years, as well as TV networks and the post-Janet Jackson/FCC Era in general. It’s a masterpiece. It’s perfect. I can’t say enough about it. When this show debuts next year (or whenever), it will be impossible to take SNL seriously anymore. I’m telling you.”

You gotta love that Matthew Perry is giving TV another shot. After seeing his friends Matt LeBlanc (Joey) and Lisa Kudrow (The Comeback) get beat down on their first post-Friends projects, he could have easily said no. Welcome back Matthew!! Could I BE more excited?