Comedian to star in, co-create pilot

Damon Wayans is plotting a return to network TV, having signed a deal to develop a pilot at ABC.

The show will also mark a return to the Alphabet for Wayans, who starred in and executive produced "My Wife and Kids" on the network from 2001-05. He and co-creator Don Reo have a script commitment for the new project, the showbiz trade papers report.

Like "My Wife and Kids," the new show will be a multi-camera comedy featuring Wayans as a dad. Its premise, though, will be a little bit less sunny than the old show. Wayans will play a widower who takes in a teenage stepson he's had no contact with in the past.

After going single-camera happy with its comedy development this season, ABC has several multi-camera projects in the works for the future. Comedian Cedric the Entertainer is headlining a family comedy, and "The Hill," a pilot starring Wendie Malick, Eric Christian Olsen and Michelle Trachtenberg, has been held over from the previous pilot season.

"My Wife and Kids" ran for five seasons on ABC, bowing out in May 2005. Wayans also created and executive produced the Showtime sketch-comedy series "The Underground" last year.