Matthew Perry, who played loveable doofus Chandler on the long-running Friends, will soon return to network television. An ex-Friend has yet to be truly successful in a return to television: Lisa Kudrow’s attempt was almost immediately cancelled, and Joey has never been particularly impressive. Will Perry be the first to break through the so-called Friends curse? (There’s also a ‘Seinfeld curse’ and ‘Brady Bunch curse’…apparently, starring in a successful television show has some sort of karmic payback.) In the still untitled drama, Perry will play a genius comedy writer on a show very much like Saturday Night Live,   who is forced out of his coveted position.

Aaron Sorkin, who created the project with Thomas Schlamme, wrote Perry’s part with the actor in mind.

“A lot is going to be asked of this cast,” Sorkin and Schlamme said. “We still have a number of roles to fill to complete the ensemble, but you couldn’t hope for a better start than these incredibly gifted actors.”

Written by Sorkin on spec, the drama ignited a bidding war between NBC and CBS that resulted in a monster deal with NBC said to include a fee of more than $3 million for the pilot.

The project, previously known as Studio 7, reunites Perry with Sorkin and Schlamme after the actor’s guest stint on The West Wing earned him Emmy nominations in 2003 and 2004.

Perry was in high demand this pilot-casting season, with a number of projects at various networks courting him for the lead. He is the third Friends star to return to series television after Matt LeBlanc’s turn in the ratings-challenged Friends spinoff Joey and Lisa Kudrow’s starring role on HBO’s short-lived The Comeback. 

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