Link (http://variety.com/2014/tv/news/matthew-perry-odd-couple-cbs-1201120700/)

CBS has officially ordered Matthew Perry’s remake of Neil Simon’s “The Odd Couple” to pilot, Variety has learned.

The half-hour comedy will star the “Friends” alum as the messy Oscar Madison, the sometimes-friend and sometimes-foil to neat freak Felix Ungar. This project marks Perry’s return to multicamera work, as his recent TV roles have included appearing on “The Good Wife” and “Cougar Town” and starring in the short-lived “Mr. Sunshine.”

Perry, who penned the pilot with “Frasier’s” Joe Keenan, will exec produce along with Eric Tannenbaum and Kim Tannenbaum and Carl Beverly and Sarah Timberman.

CBS had announced a script commitment plus penalty to a reinvention of this project in December.

“The Odd Couple” originated as a theater production and was adapted into the 1968 Jack Lemmon-Walter Matthau feature film before seeing two runs on ABC, the first of which starred Tony Randall and Jack Klugman. A femme-focused version of the play opened on Broadway in 1985 and starred Sally Struthers and Rita Moreno.

It's hard enough to be a star on a hit TV series, it's even harder to do it twice. Add to that trying to do it with recycled material. To some extent Sheldon and Leonard are a reimagined version of Felix and Oscar. Perry may still be too big for TV Land, but that's where I see this material working best.

Link (http://variety.com/2014/tv/news/matthew-perry-odd-couple-thomas-lennon-1201132171/)

Thomas Lennon will play fussy Felix Unger to Matthew Perry’s Oscar Madison in the CBS remake of “The Odd Couple,” Variety has learned.

The half-hour multi-camera comedy pilot based on the famous Neil Simon characters comes via CBS Television Studios and is exec produced by Perry, who penned the pilot with “Frasier’s” Joe Keenan, with Eric Tannenbaum and Kim Tannenbaum and Carl Beverly and Sarah Timberman.

Lennon, who appeared in “Sean Saves the World” and “Reno 911!,” is also known for his work behind the scenes. He’s an exec producer, with writing partner R. Ben Garant, of Chris Hardwick’s Comedy Central show “@midnight.” He also appeared with Perry on “Friends” and in the 2009 New Line film “17 Again.”

“The Odd Couple” originated as a theater production and was adapted into the 1968 Jack Lemmon-Walter Matthau feature film before seeing two runs on ABC, the first of which starred Tony Randall and Jack Klugman. The second, titled “The New Odd Couple,” went after a minority audience and starred Ron Glass and Demond Wilson. A femme-focused version of the play opened on Broadway in 1985 and starred Sally Struthers and Rita Moreno.

I like Perry a lot and wish him well in this venture.

I do think that we need another remake/reboot like we need a hole in the head, but maybe I will be proven wrong. I hope so.

I think it'll work, I can see Perry as Oscar.