Billy Crystal to headline FX comedy ‘The Comedians’ from ‘Burn Notice’ exec

First, FX found critical success for itself with “The Americans,” and they now have “The Comedians” to go along with it. To make things even more entertaining, they have a big-name star to go along with it.

We’re hearing that Billy Crystal has signed on for his first regular TV role in three decades, playing a legendary comic who is paired on a late-night comedy show along with a young up-and-comer who brings a mountain of tension in his direction. Crystal will serve as an executive producer on the project, which already has a stellar lineup of people working to oversee it, including Ben Wexler (“Community”), Matt Nix (“Burn Notice”), and Larry Charles (“Seinfeld”).

Given that FX managed to get Crystal on board for this, we would be positively stunned to see the show not be picked up for more. It could serve as a perfect companion next year for “Louie,” a series that is taking this year off in order for Louis C.K. to dive back into his stand-up comedy roots for a little while. Could you imagine a lineup pairing these two together? We would surely consider that to be a match made in comedy heaven.

There seems to be some sort of extensive revival going on right now when it comes to legends finding new roles on TV. Robin Williams and Michael J. Fox are returning to the medium that made them famous so many years ago, and given the rise of cable and the increased amount of creative freedom that comes with TV, this is a trend that will likely continue moving forward.

What do you think about a Billy Crystal show, and is this something that you would watch? We want to hear some more of your thoughts below!

Photo: FX