Judd Apatow Is Still Not Over This Star-Studded Pilot That Never Got Made (Exclusive)
- - Judd Apatow Is Still Not Over This Star-Studded Pilot That Never Got Made (Exclusive)
Virginia Chamlee, Dory JacksonOctober 27, 2025 at 7:00 AM
0
Amy Sussman/Getty
Judd Apatow -
Not every major Judd Apatow project came to fruition — with the legendary comedy director recounting one that really "hurts"
Speaking to PEOPLE, Apatow says his new memoir includes photos and details "about all of these TV pilots that never went to series"
One of them starred a host of big names, including Amy Poehler, January Jones, Kevin Hart, and Jason Segel
Judd Apatow is recalling some of his projects that never quite came to fruition.
The 40-Year-Old Virgin co-writer and director spoke to PEOPLE for an exclusive interview in advance of his new, highly visual memoir Comedy Nerd: A Lifelong Obsession in Stories and Pictures, which releases Oct. 28.
Apatow, 57, told PEOPLE he wanted to include details about "all the projects that didn't succeed or didn't even get picked up" in the book.
"So I show photos and talk about all of these TV pilots that never went to series," he added.
— sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Kevin Mazur/Getty; Arturo Holmes/Getty; Michael Tullberg/Getty; Emma McIntyre/Getty
From left: Jason Segel, Kevin Hart, January Jones, Amy Poehler
One pilot in particular, he detailed, would have included a host of big names — though they hadn't quite become "big" yet, and it was never picked up by a network.
"So heart-breaking because you see these casts and they're so clearly hilarious and you didn't get a chance, well, all of us didn't get a chance to explore that idea together," he said. "I did one pilot with Jason Segel, Kevin Hart, January Jones, and Amy Poehler, and we were trying to do our variation of the show like Curb Your Enthusiasm about young actors trying to break into the business."
He continued: "And it was really fun and experimental and then they just didn't pick it up and they didn't realize that everyone on that show was destined to be a mega star."
"That one always hurts," Apatow added.
Apatow's new book, which features hundreds of never-before-seen photos, letters, scripts and drafts and tells the story of his decades-long comedy career and the many people whose paths have crossed his along the way — like Steve Carell, Amy Schumer and Lena Dunham, who wrote the book's introduction.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
