Miranda Cosgrove lands first post-‘iCarly’ role on NBC comedy pilot

Miranda Cosgrove did not waste much time at all getting back on TV following her time on the hit Nickelodeon series “iCarly.” However, this time around she is moving to one of the major broadcast networks meant for older viewers.

Sources are confirming that the actress, who appeared on both the aforementioned series and “Drake & Josh” for a solid decade of her life, has been tapped to co-star in the upcoming NBC pilot “Girlfriend in a Coma,” which focuses on a woman (played by Christina Ricci) who realizes upon awakening from a 20-year coma that she has a daughter from an unplanned pregnancy that she never knew she had. It’s a pretty crazy premise, and it gets even crazier when you consider the ages here. Ricci is 33 in real life, and Cosgrove’s character is 17. With that in mind, she had to have given birth to this kid while still a teenager herself.

As unusual as this premise is, booking Cosgrove is a major victory given that she has a loyal fanbase from her “iCarly” days, and this is a natural move forward as her audience starts to age with her. NBC is obviously trying to swing for the fences now, especially after so many of their comedies this year have turned out to be failures. “Go On,” “The New Normal,” “Up All Night,” “1600 Penn,” “Guys with Kids,” “Whitney,” and “Community” could all seemingly be canceled by the end of this year. “The Office” is ending, and “Parks and Recreation” is really the only show that we feel confident will be back for more in the fall.

NBC has already ordered the return of Michael J. Fox to TV for 22 episodes, and it has already assembled a great cast led by “Breaking Bad” alum Betsy Brandt.