‘Rock City’ Comedy From Janelle James & David Caspe In Works At Hulu

Hulu is developing Rock City, a comedy from Abbott Elementary‘s Janelle James, Happy Endings creator David Caspe and Universal Television.

Written and executive produced by James and Caspe, in Rock City, a woman returns to her hometown in the Virgin Islands after she inherits a local tourist trap from her estranged father but quickly realizes that she’s been left much more than a simple beachfront bar and grill.

Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group, is the studio.

James stars as Ava Coleman in the Emmy-nominated ABC comedy series Abbott Elementary, most recently winning a 2026 Critics Choice award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for the role. She has received four consecutive Emmy nominations for her performance, as well as Golden Globe, Independent Spirit and Gotham Awards nominations, and a 2023 NAACP Image Award for supporting actress in a comedy series. On the film side, she received a 2026 NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture for her work in One Of Them Days. James previously served as both a writer and actor for Showtime’s Black Monday and Apple’s animated series, Central Park. James is repped by CAA and Granderson Des Rochers.

Caspe is best known for creating the critically acclaimed series Happy Endings for ABC/Sony. He also co-created Black Monday for Showtime starring Don Cheadle, Regina Hall and Andrew Rannells, and most recently Mr. Throwback for Peacock/Universal, starring Stephen Curry and Adam Pally. Caspe is repped by Rise Management, WME, and Howard Fishman at Holthouse Carlin & Van Trigt LLP.