Kelsey Grammer is developing a return to NBC with “Pops,” an emergency medicine drama about a man who becomes an EMT in his 60s. Grammer would star as the title character and executive produce the Universal Television series, which “Chicago Med” executive producer Danny Weiss is writing. The show is in development, which means NBC has not ordered a pilot or series.
The story comes from real life. It draws on Ed Levien, a Maryland resident who left advertising and spent 12 years as an EMT, from age 64 to 76. Levien served as a volunteer with the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad, according to The Washington Post, and moved into training new members when he stepped back from calls. Levien will executive produce alongside Weiss.
Weiss brings direct experience in the genre. A former Marine, he spent 10 seasons on “Chicago Med,” rising from staff writer to co-executive producer, and earlier wrote for “House, M.D.”. Grammer and Jordan McMahon also executive produce through Grammer’s Grammnet NH Productions and 3 Arts Entertainment.
The project reunites Grammer with the network that defined much of his career. He spent more than two decades at NBC as Dr. Frasier Crane across “Cheers,” “Frasier” and “Wings,” and won four of his five Emmys for the role. He also appears in “Avengers: Doomsday,” due in December.
“Pops” enters a field with proven comparisons. ABC’s “The Rookie” follows the LAPD’s oldest rookie and also rests on a true story. CBS’s “Carol’s Second Act” followed a middle-aged divorcee who enrolled in medical school in her 50s. Both rely on the same appeal: a late-life reinvention set among younger colleagues and high-pressure work.
For NBC, the pairing offers a familiar face and a proven writer within a franchise-friendly setting. The network has built a strong identity around its Chicago-set medical and first-responder dramas, and a veteran from that world would shape the tone.
Development projects often stall before reaching a screen. Grammer’s star power and a real-life story with a clear hook give “Pops” a better starting position than most, though casting around him and a network decision will determine its fate. Neither NBC nor Universal Television has set a timetable for scripts or a pilot decision.
