EXCLUSIVE: British actress Charly Clive (Pure) has landed the female lead opposite Steve Carell in HBO‘s untitled comedy series from Bill Lawrence, Matt Tarses and Warner Bros. TV. Clive was among a half-dozen 30-something actresses — including a couple of well-known names — who did a chemistry read with Carell for the hotly pursued role.

The single-camera comedy is set on a college campus, centering on an author’s (Carell) complicated relationship with his daughter (Clive). In addition to Carell, Clive joins previously cast Phil Dunster in the high-profile series.

The first of 10 half-hour episodes was written by Lawrence and Tarses. Lawrence, Jeff Ingold and Liza Katzer of Doozer Productions executive produce alongside Tarses and Carell. The series is produced by Doozer in association with Warner Bros. Television, where Lawrence’s Doozer banner and Tarses are under overall deals.

Clive is probably best known for her starring role in the 2019 Channel 4 series Pure and for being half of the “Britney” sketch comedy duo with Ellen Robertson. Clive and Robertson’s eponymous comedy show, based on their experience after Clive was diagnosed with a brain tumor at age 23, played at several festivals, including Edinburgh Fringe, and was adapted as a TV pilot. Clive also was part of the main cast of the Sky Max series The Lazarus Project. She is repped by United Agents, Linden Entertainment, and Jackoway Austen.