EPIX Original Dark Comedy Series "Get Shorty," Inspired by Elmore Leonard's Best-Selling Classic Novel, from MGM Television to Start Production

Series Stars Chris O'Dowd and Ray Romano Joined by Series Regulars Sean Bridgers, Lidia Porto, Megan Stevenson, Goya Robles, Lucy Walters, Carolyn Dodd

NEW YORK -- Premium cable network EPIX(R) announced today that production will begin on the original series Get Shorty, produced by MGM Television, on November 8, 2016 with shooting to take place in Los Angeles, CA and Albuquerque, NM. Screen Actors Guild Award(R) and BAFTA TV Award nominee Chris O'Dowd ("Girls," St. Vincent, Bridesmaids) and multiple Emmy(R) winner Ray Romano ("Vinyl," "Parenthood,""Everybody Loves Raymond") are set to star in the 10-episode one hour straight-to-series dark comedy inspired by Elmore Leonard's 1990 New York Times best-selling classic novel of the same name. Joining Romano and O'Dowd will be series regulars: Screen Actors Guild Award(R) nominee Sean Bridgers ("Rectify," Room); Lidia Porto (Horrible Bosses 2); Megan Stevenson ("Review"); Goya Robles (11:55); Lucy Walters ("Power"); Carolyn Dodd (The Adventures of Catty Wompus).

O'Dowd is set to play "Miles," a hitman from Nevada who tries to become a movie producer in Hollywood as a means to leave his criminal past behind. Romano is set for the role of "Rick," a washed up producer of low quality films who becomes Miles' partner and guide through the maze of Hollywood. Bridgers will play Miles' partner within the organization, "Louis." Porto will portray "Amara," the godmother of a Nevada crime ring. Stevenson is set for the role of "April," an attractive and ambitious studio executive. Robles will portray "Yago," Amara's dangerous nephew. Walters will play "Katie," Miles' wife from whom he is separated. Dodd will play Miles and Katie's 12-year-old daughter "Emma."

Created and executive produced by Davey Holmes ("Shameless," "In Treatment," "Damages"), Get Shorty will be co-executive produced by Adam Arkin ("The Americans," "Billions"), who will also direct three episodes, and Emmy nominee Allen Coulter ("The Sopranos," "Damages"), who will direct and also executive produce the first episode. The series is produced by MGM Television with MGM serving as lead studio and the international distributor.

"It's an incredible opportunity to partner with MGM on Elmore Leonard's timeless classic, which will be re-envisioned by Davey Holmes and directed by Allen Coulter," said Mark S. Greenberg, President and CEO, EPIX. "Ray and Chris are a dynamic team and with a strong supporting cast, we are anticipating that "Get Shorty" will be another example of the type of high-end, premium TV that EPIX is committed to delivering to its audience."

Steve Stark, President, MGM's Television Production & Development, added "The marriage of Elmore Leonard's classic work with Davey Holmes's twisted comedic voice flips the classic Hollywood story on it's head. Davey has created sharply-witted stories and characters that our audience is going to love."

"Elmore Leonard's work was formative for me, and the world of 'Get Shorty' felt ready for a reinvention, while staying true to the creative spirit of the book," said Davey Holmes. "Leonard had a fantastic ability to illuminate thuggish characters and find not only menace, but also comedy that springs from their humanity. It's a story about murderous tough guys with wistful dreams and fragile egos."

Over the past few years O'Dowd has carved out a hugely successful movie career. He can currently be seen in Tim Burton's Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children and Christopher Guest's Mascots. O'Dowd's other movie credits include Stephen Frears' The Program; John Michael McDonagh's Calvary opposite Brendan Gleeson; Wayne Blair's The Sapphires; Judd Apatow's This is 40 opposite Paul Rudd; Jennifer Westfeldt's Friends with Kids alongside Jon Hamm and Kristen Wiig; Paul Feig's Bridesmaids, also opposite Kristin Wiig; Jay Roache's Dinner for Schmucks opposite Paul Rudd and Steve Carrell; Rob Letterman's Gulliver's Travels with Jack Black and Emily Blunt; Richard Curtis' Pirate Radio opposite Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Gareth Carrivick's Frequently Asked Questions About Time Travel opposite Anna Faris. He also lent his voice to Chris Wedge's animated blockbuster Epic alongside Beyonce, Amanda Seyfried and Jason Sudeikis. His TV credits include "The IT Crowd," "Moone Boy" and "Family Tree."

O'Dowd is repped by WME Entertainment, 3 Arts Entertainment and Gordon and French.

From 1996 to 2006, Romano starred in "Everybody Loves Raymond," one of the most respected sitcoms in television history, and won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in 2002. As one of the show's executive producers, he also received Emmy Awards in 2003 and 2005 for "Outstanding Comedy Series," and shared a 2003 Screen Actors Guild Award(R) with the show's cast. Romano's other TV credits include "Vinyl," "Parenthood" and "Men of a Certain Age." He also stars in The Big Sick, produced by Judd Apatow and written by and starring Kumail Nanjiani. Other film credits include the voice of Manny the wooly mammoth in 20th Century Fox's animated hit, Ice Age, and the four sequels, including Ice Age: Collision Course. He also appeared in Welcome To Mooseport, Rob the Mob and the documentary 95 Miles To Go. In 1998, he wrote the New York Times best-seller, Everything And A Kite, and with his brothers penned the children's book Raymie, Dickie, and The Bean: Why I Love and Hate My Brothers. In 2002, Romano's comedy album, Live at Carnegie Hall, was nominated for a Grammy.

Romano is repped by ICM Partners, The Conversation Company, and lawyer Jon Moonves.

Arkin is repped by ESA, Gersh and Principal Entertainment.

Get Shorty is the third EPIX original scripted series on the network's slate. EPIX recently premiered the original series Berlin Station and Graves on Sunday, October 16 at 9/8C and 10/9C, respectively. Berlin Station is a contemporary, fast-paced spy thriller that looks at Berlin's CIA office in the midst of an investigation into a now-infamous whistleblower. Graves tells the story of President Richard Graves, a former two-term POTUS as he embarks on a Don Quixote-like quest to right the wrongs of his administration and reclaim his legacy 25 years after leaving the White House.

About EPIX

EPIX is a premium entertainment network delivering the latest movie releases and biggest classic film franchises, plus original programming including series, documentaries, comedy and music specials - all available on TV, on demand, online and across devices. Launched in October 2009, EPIX pioneered the development and proliferation of "TV Everywhere." It was the first premium network to provide multi-platform access to its content online at EPIX.com and to launch on Xbox, PlayStation(R), Android phones and tablets, and Roku(R) players. EPIX is also available across Chromecast, Apple(R) iPhones(R) and iPads(R), Android TV and more and is the only premium service providing all of its programming on all platforms, delivering more movies than any other premium network, with thousands of titles available for streaming.

EPIX is a joint venture between Viacom Inc., its Paramount Pictures unit, Lionsgate and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (MGM). Through relationships with cable, satellite and telco partners, EPIX is available to over 50 million homes nationwide. For more information about EPIX, go to www.EPIX.com. Follow EPIX on Twitter @EpixHD (http://www.twitter.com/EpixHD) and on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/EPIX), YouTube (http://youtube.com/EPIX), Instagram (http://instagram.com/EPIX), Google+ (http://plus.google.com/+EPIX), Pinterest (http://pinterest.com/EPIX) and Vine (https://vine.co/EPIX).

About MGM Television

MGM Television is a leading producer and global distributor of premium content for television and digital platforms, with distribution rights to original productions and a robust catalog of television episodes and feature film titles including such premiere entertainment franchises as James Bond, Rocky, Stargate and "The Hobbit" trilogy. Current scripted and unscripted multi-platform projects on air or in production include: "Fargo" (FX); "Vikings" (HISTORY); "The Handmaid's Tale" (Hulu); "Get Shorty" (EPIX); "The Voice" (NBC); "Survivor" (CBS); "Shark Tank" (ABC); "Beyond the Tank" (ABC); "Celebrity Apprentice"(NBC); The People's Choice Awards" (CBS); Steve Harvey's Funderdome" (ABC); and "Lucha Underground" (The El Rey Network). Through its finance and distribution entity, Orion TV Productions, the syndicated courtroom series "Lauren Lake's Paternity Court" is currently airing its fourth season. MGM's television programming regularly airs in more than 70 countries worldwide. For more information, visit www.mgm.com.