NBC's New Comedy Sitcom Could Be Based On Life Inside General Motors

Jan. 25, 2021 11:56 AM ET by Karl Furlong Industry News / 13 Comments

American Auto will follow the lives of employees at a Detroit car company.

By the time a new vehicle arrives in showrooms, company executives have spent years talking about and planning for its unveiling. It's a long process not often shared with the public, but NBC's latest sitcom - planned for the 2021-2022 season - should offer a glimpse into it. Called American Auto, the show is centered around a Detroit-based car company called Payne Motors trying to make it within a rapidly changing automotive landscape. We anticipate that the comedic show will be loosely based on General Motors, itself headquartered in Detroit.

According to a report by The Wrap, American Auto will star the talented Ana Gasteyer in the role of Katherine Hastings. Gasteyer is a former actress from Saturday Night Live and will star as the CEO of the fictional Payne Motors.

As some readers will know, GM's current CEO is also female and none other than Mary Barra. Expect American Auto to feature plenty of references to the electrification movement, as no company goes more than a week or so without talking of its latest EV.

GM has said it intends to launch 30 EVs by 2025, and recently teased several new EVs at the 2021 Consumer Electronics Show. Two of these included the much-anticipated Cadillac Lyriq and the GMC Hummer EV pickup. American Auto was written by Justin Spitzer who created the successful show Superstore, which was recently renewed for a sixth season.

The single-camera show will also star Jon Barinholtz and Michael B. Washington, with Washington being well-known for his role on another comedic show, 30 Rock. American Auto has been described by NBC as "set at the headquarters of a major American automotive company in Detroit where a floundering group of executives try to rediscover the company identity amidst a rapidly changing industry."

The show has the opportunity to tackle controversial auto industry topics like the union workers strike, the endless race for autonomous driving tech, and scandals that rocked the industry like Dieselgate. We can't wait to binge-watch this one.