EXCLUSIVE: Through her recently launched production banner Liston James Productions, Emmy-winner Jaime Pressly has set her sights on a new comedy series, R&R.
R&R, from up and coming writer JJ Herz, debuted a 10-minute proof-of-concept pilot at SXSW in March and was snapped up for development by Liston James soon after. Liston James is currently raising independent financing for the first season of the series.
R&R follows Rachel (Herz), a sarcastic and unapologetically gay mess, and Robbie (Kevin Iannucci), her neurotically organized, hopeless romantic twin brother with Down syndrome. In addition to executive producing, Pressly will play the twins’ mom, Roda. Iannucci is set to return for the full-length series.
Herz, who says they were inspired to create the series by their own relationship with their brother Griffin, who has Down syndrome, tells Deadline: “There has not been a lead actor with Down syndrome on television since Corky in Life Goes On.”
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Chris Burke became the first actor with Down syndrome to play a major character on television when he starred as Corky Thatcher in the 1989 ABC series. As Herz points out, in the more than three decades since Life Goes On ended in 1993, there has not been another actor with Down syndrome in a lead role.
“And when characters with disabilities do appear on screens, they’re side characters,” Herz continued. “I’d never seen a leading character that was anything like Griffin, who was strong and witty and independent, lived on his own, wants to date, wants to live a full adult life.”
Of her brother, she adds: “If you’ve ever met Griffin, you’d realize that he is absolutely a lead character. So I’m just showcasing it on screen.”
The proof-of-concept pilot episode captures the hilarious chaos of their daily lives, from dead-end service jobs and accidental laxative mishaps to the launch of their new podcast. After its debut at SXSW, R&R also took home the Inclusive Creator Award at SeriesFest 2025 and won Best Pilot at the Baton Rouge Underground Film Festival.
It is also an official selection for Nashville Film Festival’s Episodic program, with a screening set for September 20 at the Regal Green Hills.
A trailer for the pilot is embedded at the bottom of this post.
Deadline understands that a full pilot episode has been drafted, though Liston James will soon be searching for a team of writers to craft the first season alongside Herz. In particular, Herz says they are looking for queer and/or disabled writers and would especially like to hire a writer with Down syndrome.
“What is important to me is that the cast and the crew of R&R reflects my everyday world, and that means disabled actors, disabled crew, disabled comedy writers in the writers room,” they said, adding that they hope to push representation forward on the small screen while creating a series that is “universally relatable.”
R&R will be executive produced by Jaime Pressly, Kelly Brown, JJ Herz, and Alex Herz. JJ Herz is also expected to direct the full-length pilot episode. JJ Herz is represented by Range Media Partners.
Writers with Down syndrome interested in being considered for the R&R writers room can submit writing samples at the link in the @randrseries Instagram bio or at randrproduction.com.