NBC reunites Poehler & Offerman for unscripted show

Amy Poehler (left) in Parks & Recreation

Parks and Recreation stars Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman are reuniting on an unscripted series for US broadcaster NBC.

Poehler’s Paper Kite Productions is behind The Handmade Project, whose first season will run to six episodes, marking the prodco’s first venture into unscripted.

NBC’s new unscripted division, Universal Television Alternative Studio is making the show.

Poehler will co-host with Offerman, who played opposite her in NBC sitcom Parks and Rec.

The craft-focused series will see contestants given increasingly difficult hand-made challenges based on new themes in each episode.

“I’m thrilled to be celebrating artists who make things by hand, and I’m looking forward to finally conquering my fear of paper mache,” said Poehler, who is executive producer alongside Poehler, Paper Kite’s Brooke Posch, co-developer Nicolle Yaron, Offerman, 3 Arts’ Dave Becky and Anthony Dominici.

“Nick a master craftsmen and woodworker, and Amy pitched us this as a passion project and really wanted to do it,” Ahr told TBI. “Some things are very strategic and come from looking at statistics and data, but this is something no-one expects us to do. It’s something people didn’t know they needed.”

Parks and Rec ran for seven seasons between 2009 and 2015.

Universal Television Alternative Studio was launched as part of an NBC strategy to own more of the unscripted series it broadcasts. While shows such as The Voice, America’s Got Talent and The Wall are ratings successes, none are owned by the Comcast-house broadcaster.

NBCUniversal is expected to sell The Handmade Tale internationally.

Hear Meredith Ahr and NBC unscripted chief Paul Telegdy in conversation with TBI editor Stewart Clarke at MIPTV next week, at 5.20pm local time in the Grand Auditorium, Festivals des Palais