The Ram: Rob Lowe to headline the workplace comedy series at ABC

ABC is lining up a workplace romantic comedy with Rob Lowe at the center, which is titled The Ram, as per a report published by Variety. The series will follow Lowe as a daily sports talk show host whose job is slipping until a new producer is brought in to boost his ratings.

The dynamic between the two is set to drive both the workplace comedy and the romance angle. Lowe isn’t just starring; he is also attached as an executive producer, keeping him firmly involved behind the camera as well.

The show brings an unusual mix of television and sports figures together. NFL Hall of Famer Peyton Manning and outspoken sports radio host Colin Cowherd are also executive producers, signaling ABC’s interest in pulling real sports credibility into the project.

They join Betsy Thomas, Bob Fisher, and Rob Greenberg, known for comedies like My Boys, Wedding Crashers, and How I Met Your Mother, respectively. Additional producing support comes from Eric and Kim Tannenbaum, Jason Wang, Jamie Horowitz, and Ben Brown, working through Omaha Productions, which has a first-look deal with 20th Television.

For Lowe, The Ram arrives months after he ended his five-year run as Captain Owen Strand on Fox’s 9-1-1: Lone Star and wrapped Netflix’s Unstable.

Rob Lowe brings sports and romance to ABC with The Ram

The biggest hook of The Ram is how ABC is positioning it as both a comedy and a sports-centered workplace show at a time when the network has only two scripted comedies on air, Abbott Elementary and Shifting Gears. That leaves room for a project like this to stand out, especially with Lowe front and center.

His character is a sports talk show host whose ratings are falling, and the network believes viewers will connect with the mix of on-air chaos, behind-the-scenes tension, and the romance element built into the story. The addition of a new producer to save the show gives the series a built-in conflict that can play out week after week.

The involvement of Peyton Manning and Colin Cowherd takes the project into new territory for ABC. Manning’s company, Omaha Productions, already has ties to ESPN through the alternate Monday Night Football telecast he co-hosts with brother Eli, while Cowherd brings decades of experience in sports talk.

Their presence is not just symbolic; both understand how a sports media environment works, and that background could help shape storylines that feel believable to audiences familiar with real-life broadcasts.

Behind the script, Betsy Thomas, Bob Fisher, and Rob Greenberg bring steady comedy credentials. Thomas created My Boys and worked on Mom, Fisher co-wrote Wedding Crashers and We’re the Millers, and Greenberg worked on long-running sitcoms like Frasier and How I Met Your Mother.

With this writing team, the series is expected to lean into sharp character dynamics rather than just rely on sports references. The producing team also includes Eric and Kim Tannenbaum, Jason Wang, Jamie Horowitz, and Ben Brown, who have backgrounds in both comedy production and live sports programming.

The Ram is being developed through 20th Television, which has a first-look deal with Omaha Productions. That deal has already produced Chad Powers, a Hulu comedy starring Glen Powell inspired by Eli Manning’s viral undercover college football tryout. The studio connection means ABC can rely on a tested partnership that has already yielded content with a sports angle.

For ABC, this project signals a push to broaden its comedy lineup while also pulling in viewers who normally watch ESPN or Fox Sports. By pairing Lowe’s television history with producers who know the ins and outs of sports media, The Ram is designed to reach out to a variety of audiences rather than stay in one lane.

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