Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Cecily Strong are teaming up for Nanny Squatter, a dramedy nearing series order at Apple TV+, according to Variety.
Details are scarce—Apple guards its development slate like state secrets—but the project reunites two of comedy's sharpest performers in what's being described as a dramedy, that awkward half-hour format that's neither sitcom nor drama but somehow both. Think Fleabag, Barry, or The Bear, but presumably with less stabbing.
Louis-Dreyfus needs no introduction: Seinfeld made her a legend, Veep made her the most awarded actor in Emmy history, and she's been selectively choosing projects ever since, prioritizing quality over quantity. Her recent work—You Hurt My Feelings, Tuesday—has leaned into dramatic territory while keeping her comedic timing intact.
Strong, meanwhile, left Saturday Night Live after 10 seasons and has been steadily building a post-SNL career that proves she's more than sketch comedy. Her performance in Schmigadoon! showed range; her dramatic turn in The Bear showed depth. She's the rare SNL alum who doesn't just coast on impressions.
The pairing makes sense. Both women excel at playing smart people navigating absurd situations. Both can do comedy and drama without telegraphing the shift. And both have proven they can carry prestige TV on streaming platforms that actually promote their shows (looking at you, Hollywood studios killing your favorite series after one season).
Apple TV+ has become the prestige comedy home for established stars—Jason Segel in Shrinking, Harrison Ford also in Shrinking, Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston in The Morning Show. The platform pays obscene money for marquee names and gives them creative freedom, which is why people who can go anywhere keep choosing Apple.
The title Nanny Squatter suggests domestic comedy with a twist—maybe a nanny who won't leave? A family that can't afford to fire her? A commentary on gig economy precarity wrapped in sitcom format? I'm speculating, obviously, because Apple hasn't released plot details, but the title is specific enough to signal this isn't just "two funny women do stuff."
Whether the show gets made depends on Apple's mysterious development process, which seems to involve throwing money at talent and seeing what sticks. But Louis-Dreyfus and Strong are the kind of talent that should stick—proven, Emmy-winning performers with built-in audiences and critical credibility.
For now, this is development news, which means it might never see the light of day. Hollywood is littered with projects that got to the "nearing series order" stage and died quietly. But if Nanny Squatter makes it to screen, it'll be worth watching. Because Louis-Dreyfus doesn't miss, and Strong is just getting started.
In Hollywood, nobody knows anything—except that these two together is a good bet.
