Kellie Pickler, Sitcom Idol

Thu., Nov. 9, 2006 12:37 PM PST by Gina Serpe

Thousands of teenage fans may not have picked Pickler, but a handful of middle-aged execs have.

Sixth-place American Idol finisher Kellie Pickler has signed a development deal with 20th Century Fox, with plans to star in a sitcom based on her prefame life for the Idol network.

According to Variety, the as yet untitled show will feature Pickler stretching her acting muscles to maximum reach as a naive, small-town southern girl. In the series, Pickler's character discovers that her biological father is the state's governor. The revelation puts his plans for a White House run on hold, though he soon discovers that his display of genuine family values increases his standing in the polls.

Idol producer 19 Entertainment naturally has a hand in the development, with Simon Fuller executive producing the scripted offering. That '70s Show's Chris Peterson and Bryan Moore have been tapped to write and create the project.

Fellow producer Brad Johnson told Variety that he knew a sitcom star was born when he—and millions of Americans—laughed along with (at?) Pickler during Idol's finale last spring, when she apparently spun mispronunciations of common culinary terms into comedy gold.

Paired with Wolfgang Puck for a series of interspersed segments throughout the finale crowning Taylor Hicks, Pickler wowed 20th Century Fox execs with creative pronunciation—and dumbfoundedness at the existence—of "calamari" and "salmon," among other foodstuffs.

"She's fresh and sparkling and sweet, and we decided it would be great to take some of that natural comedic ability and put her in a situation comedy, surrounded by an ensemble," Johnson told the trade.

The reality show castoff has already found more success than most Idol also-rans, particularly within the sixth-place-finisher contingent, regardless of their season.

She signed a record deal with RCA's country label, BNA, shortly after being ousted from the competition, and she released her debut album, Small Town Girl, last week. The album landed at number nine on the Billboard album charts, selling a not phenomenal but respectable enough 79,000 copies. She's also nabbed the top spot on the Country Albums chart.

In addition to Pickler, several other Idol alums are looking to make their mark this spring. Jennifer Hudson makes her big-screen debut alongside Beyoncé, Jamie Foxx and Eddie Murphy in Dreamgirls this December. Katherine McPhee and Chris Daughtry are releasing their debuts this month, and reigning Idol Hicks is hitting the record stores in December.