An update on that TBS sitcom pilot Steve Byrne was casting a couple of weeks ago... It looks like Steve has found his mother and sister: Quartet Cast In TBS Comedy Pilot 'Sullivan And Son' Produced By Vince Vaughn.According to Deadline.com, Jodi Long will star as Steve's Korean American mother (I'm having flashbacks to Margaret Cho's All American Girl) and Vivian Bang will play Steve's "long-suffering, under-appreciated younger sister."
Written by Byrne and Cheers alum Rob Long, who serves as executive producer/showrunner, Sullivan And Son is in the vein of the classic NBC comedy and takes place in a popular and legendary neighborhood bar in a working-class neighborhood in Pittsburgh. It centers on Steve Sullivan (Byrne), the son of the bar’s current owner and the grandson of its founder, who surprises his Irish-American father and Korean-American mother (Long) when he decides to leave his job as a successful corporate attorney in New York and return to the neighborhood to take over Sullivan & Son. Azlynn, repped by Innovative and Trademark Talent, will play Melanie, a regular at the bar and the love interest to Steve. Bang will play Steve’s long-suffering, under-appreciated younger sister.I know that they were initially having some trouble specifically finding a Korean woman and a younger hapa actress to play Steve's mom and sister, respectively. It looks like they opened it up a little broader to fill the roles.
I'm a little confused with the casting of Steve's sister. Vivian Bang -- who is hilarious -- isn't hapa, as far as I know. This could take some explaining. But I am glad we're one step closer to seeing this show...