Amazon orders improvised sitcom DINKS with Raphael and Scheer
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Amazon has ordered "DINKS" (short for "dual income, no kids"), an improvised multi-camera sitcom from "Friends" co-creator Marta Kauffman, marking both the streamer's first multi-cam show and the first-ever improvised multi-cam comedy. The series is being financed through an unusual three-way partnership between Amazon MGM Studios, Lionsgate and Publicis Media Content Innovation, the entertainment arm of ad giant Publicis Media, which is fully funding the show rather than relying on the traditional TV financing model.
The series stars real-life married couple June Diane Raphael and Paul Scheer, with Jon Gabrus as a series regular, and follows a couple who, without marriage or children, choose to build a life together by renovating a "nightmare of a dream house". Kauffman co-created the show with Hannah K.S. Canter under their Okay Goodnight banner, with Robbie Rowe Tollin and Jesse Schiller also executive producing alongside Raphael and Scheer; Amazon first commissioned a pilot back in 2024. Kauffman said she had long resisted doing another multi-cam sitcom until she found a way to reinvent the format, while Amazon MGM Studios' Peter Friedlander called the pairing of Raphael and Scheer "perfect" for bringing the concept to Prime Video's comedy slate, which already includes titles such as "Overcompensating" and "Ride or Die".
- Amazon orders "DINKS", its first-ever multi-cam sitcom, from Marta Kauffman.
- Show is also the first improvised multi-cam comedy, starring real-life couple Raphael and Scheer.
- Financed jointly by Amazon MGM, Lionsgate and Publicis Media Content Innovation.
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Amazon has commissioned DINKS, a new sitcom for its Prime Video service, from Marta Kauffman, best known for co-creating "Friends". The show is notable for its format: it is filmed in front of a studio audience with multiple cameras, in the style of classic sitcoms, but is largely improvised by the cast rather than scripted, which producers say is a first for this kind of comedy.
The series stars real-life married couple June Diane Raphael and Paul Scheer, who play a couple choosing to build a life together without marriage or children while renovating a difficult house. It is being paid for through an unusual arrangement involving three companies, Amazon MGM Studios, Lionsgate and advertising firm Publicis Media's entertainment division, rather than the way television is normally financed.
The project matters partly because of who is behind it, a well-known sitcom creator working with two performers who are already established comedy names, and partly because of what it signals for the wider industry: a major streamer trying out an older TV format and a new way of funding shows, at a time when traditional television financing models are under strain.
More coverage
- The Hollywood Reporter — ‘DINKS’ Multi-Cam Comedy From Marta Kauffman a Go at Prime Video
- Deadline — Amazon Orders Comedy ‘DINKS’ Starring June Diane Raphael & Paul Scheer From Marta Kauffman
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Originally published by Variety as “Marta Kauffman Sets Improvised Sitcom ‘DINKS’ at Amazon Starring June Diane Raphael, Paul Scheer (EXCLUSIVE)”.