CBS has handed a pilot pickup to Zarna, a multi-camera comedy starring stand-up comedian Zarna Garg. The project, written by Garg and The Big C creator Darlene Hunt, comes from Mindy Kaling‘s Kaling International, Kevin Hart‘s Hartbeat and Warner Bros. Television, where Kaling International is under an overall deal.
Zarna has been on a priority track since landing at CBS for development in September in a competitive situation. It subsequently emerged as one of WBTV’s strongest broadcast prospects this season, giving the indie studio its first comedy greenlight at the network for a non-Chuck Lorre comedy in quite some time.
This is CBS’ third pilot order so far this development season, joining single-camera comedy DMV and light drama Einstein.
Zarna centers on the eponymous heroine Zarna (Garg), a proud immigrant woman who’s been raising her American-born kids on Indian values. But now that they’re getting older, it’s time for her to focus on her own American dream.
The story reflects Garg’s own story. She immigrated from her native India to the U.S. as a teenager and, after getting BA and JD degrees, spent 16 years as a stay-at-home mom before her children encouraged her to try stand-up, launching her comedy career.
Hunt, who serves as showrunner, and Garg executive produce Zarna with Kaling and Jessica Kumai Scott via Kaling International; Howard Klein via 3 Arts; as well as Hart, Bryan Smiley and Mike Stein via Hartbeat.
Garg’s relationship with Hart dates back to 2021, when she won his comedy competition Lyft Comics on Peacock. She was also featured in the 2022 Apple TV+ series Gutsy, hosted by Hillary Clinton and Chelsea Clinton. Her debut comedy special, Zarna Garg: One in a Billion, debuted on Prime Video last year.
This marks a return to broadcast for Kaling who started her career on The Office and The Mindy Project. The Indian immigrant experience is often reflected in her work, most notably on her Netflix series Never Have I Ever.