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CBS has officially picked up a pilot for “Zarna,” a multi-camera comedy featuring stand-up comedian Zarna Garg. The show, co-written by Garg and Darlene Hunt (creator of The Big C), is a collaboration among Mindy Kaling’s Kaling International, Kevin Hart’s Hartbeat, and Warner Bros. Television, where Kaling International has an overall deal.

“Zarna” has been a priority project since its development began at CBS in September amidst stiff competition. It has since become one of WBTV’s top broadcast prospects this season, marking the indie studio’s first non-Chuck Lorre comedy greenlight at the network in quite some time.

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This is CBS’ third pilot order of the current development season, joining the single-camera comedy “DMV” and the light drama “Einstein.”

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“Zarna” follows the titular character Zarna (Garg), a proud immigrant who has been raising her American-born children with Indian values. As they grow older, she decides to pursue her own American dream.

The narrative is inspired by Garg’s own life; she immigrated from India to the U.S. as a teenager, earned her BA and JD degrees, and spent 16 years as a stay-at-home mom before her kids encouraged her to explore stand-up comedy, sparking her career.

Hunt serves as the showrunner, with Garg, Kaling, Jessica Kumai Scott (via Kaling International), Howard Klein (via 3 Arts), and Hart, Bryan Smiley, and Mike Stein (via Hartbeat) as executive producers.

Garg’s connection with Hart goes back to 2021 when she won his comedy competition “Lyft Comics” on Peacock. She also appeared in the 2022 Apple TV+ series “Gutsy,” hosted by Hillary and Chelsea Clinton. Her debut comedy special, “Zarna Garg: One in a Billion,” premiered on Prime Video last year.

This project marks Kaling’s return to broadcast television, having started her career with “The Office” and “The Mindy Project.” The immigrant experience is a recurring theme in her work, particularly in her Netflix series “Never Have I Ever.”

 

Person: Zarna Garg, Darlene Hunt, Mindy Kaling, Kevin Hart, Hillary Clinton, Chelsea Clinton, Howard Klein, Bryan Smiley, Mike Stein
Company Names: CBS, Kaling International, Hartbeat, Warner Bros. Television, 3 Arts, Netflix, Prime Video, Apple TV+
Titles: Zarna, DMV, Einstein, Gutsy, Zarna Garg: One in a Billion, Never Have I Ever, The Office, The Mindy Project

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