The self-proclaimed "Americas's Sweetheart" figure skater has signed on to create and produce a comedy series about figure skating.
Donald PadgettOlympic bronze medalist Adam Rippon is getting his own television show. The vivacious celebrity skater and winner of season 6 of Dancing With The Stars has signed to help create and produce a comedy series based on the wild world of adult professional figure skating for NBC, according to Variety.
The project, currently named “Untitled Figure Skating Comedy,” tells the tale of one woman’s “oversized ambitions, underwhelming talent and boundless heart” in her fight against “family, failing knees, and every other skater on the ice” to realize her dreams, maybe.
If anyone is suited to write a comedy about figure skating, it’s Rippon. His hilarious persona belies the abilities of one of the sport’s most talented athletes. He has racked up a number of medals and victories on the ice during his career. He won the 2010 Four Continents Championships and the 2016 U.S. National Championships, and also earned a bronze medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea. He retired from competitive skating in November of the same year.
Rippon is no stranger to the limelight outside the skating world, either. His good looks, outgoing personality, hilarious interviews, and quick wit have made him a winner in life after retirement as well. He once dubbed himself America’s Sweetheart (and he wasn’t wrong). His victory on Dancing With The Stars showcased his talents on the dance floor.
Writer, editor, and media executive Susan Kittenplan is co-creating the series and developing the story with Rippon. She is currently the president emeritus of the Skating Club of New York, serves on the Figure Skating in Harlem board and the President’s Council of Cornell Women, and volunteers for U.S. Figure Skating and Team USA.
Billy Finnegan has also signed on as a co-creator, executive producer, and writer. Most recently, he worked his way from co-producer to executive producer during all five seasons with Grace and Frankie, and has also worked on The Real O’Neals and Bad Teacher.
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