Leanne Morgan stars in a new sitcom based on her real life, co-created with TV legend Chuck Lorre

A comedian’s distinctive standup routines forming the basis of a TV sitcom is hardly something new, with such hit comedies as Roseanne, Seinfeld, Everybody Loves Raymond and numerous others expanding on the real lives of its stars.

The latest entry in this pantheon is Leanne, a new Netflix sitcom starring and co-created by Leanne Morgan. Morgan is no stranger to Netflix viewers — her 2023 standup special, I’m Every Woman, is ranked among Netflix’s top 10 comedy specials — and neither is her series’ co-creator: Chuck Lorre, creator of such mega-hit comedies as Two and a Half Men, The Big Bang Theory (and its spinoffs), Mom, The Kominsky Method and more.

As Lorre tells Netflix’s Tudum, partnering with Morgan was a no-brainer after watching her share hilarious stories from her life in  . “If you’ve seen even 10 seconds of Leanne Morgan’s standup, then you know what a unique comedic force she is,” Lorre says.

For Morgan, who’s been kicking around the comedy community for decades, landing her first-ever TV sitcom — one bearing her name, no less — is nothing short of a miracle. “When I started comedy 25 years ago, my goal was to be a part of a sitcom,” she gushes. “It just goes to show you it’s never too late, and dreams do come true. I’m a grandmama from Tennessee, and now I have a TV show with Chuck Lorre and Netflix. What in the world!?”

The series follows the titular Leanne, and begins just as her husband of 33 years leaves her for another woman. “Starting over when you’re a grandmother and in menopause isn’t exactly what she had in mind, but with the help of her family, she will face this new chapter with grace, dignity and Jell-O salad,” reads the series synopsis.

Among the various challenges Leanne faces is the prospect of dating for the first time in more than three decades. “There’s the vulnerability of opening yourself up after being abandoned by the person you built your life with,” says Morgan. “It’s not just about meeting someone new. It’s about risking the pain of being hurt again.”

On the flip side, pushing herself beyond the borders of her comfort zone enriches Leanne’s life. “It can also be an opportunity to rediscover yourself and experience a kind of freedom you didn’t know was possible,” she says.

For Morgan, portraying a sitcom version of herself in a multi-camera comedy filmed in front of a live studio audience definitely took her out of her own comfort zone. “Learning a new medium was definitely a challenge — memorizing new scripts every week was totally new for me — but I loved it,” she says. “As a standup, the comedic timing felt natural, and filming in front of a live audience was especially comfortable. By the end of the season, it really felt like home.”

While Morgan may have been a sitcom virgin, Lorre wisely surrounded his star with veterans of the genre, with 3rd Rock from the Sun and Mom alum Kristen Johnston cast as Leanne’s twice-divorced sister, Carol, who may be Leanne’s polar opposite in every conceivable way, but is also her ride or die. Playing Leanne’s unfaithful husband, Bill, is Ryan Stiles, a veteran of The Drew Carey Show who’s spent decades delivering improv laughs on Whose Line Is It Anyway?

Rounding out the cast: Celia Weston (In the Bedroom) as Leanne and Carol’s church-going mom, Mama Margaret; Blake Clark (The United States of Al) as the siblings’ old-school father, Daddy John; Graham Rogers (Ray Donovan) as Tyler, Leanne’s son, a new dad cowed by his dominating wife; and Hannah Pilkes (Would I Lie to You) as Josie, Leanne’s irresponsible, rule-breaking daughter, who’s never managed to maintain a relationship or hold down a job.

“Leanne uses humour to cope. Sometimes you just have to laugh to keep from crying. She leans on her support system — her family, close friends, and church community — to get through it,” says Morgan.

“The theme of starting over is universal,” adds Lorre, “and I cannot think of anyone better to combine heart and comedy than Leanne.”

Leanne premieres on Thursday, July 31, on Netflix