UPDATED: Sarah Silverman Heads to NBC

UPDATED:  Well that didn't take long.  NBC has defeated the competition and brought Silverman on board.  (Looks like Harmon had his ringer on.)  Deadline makes a point of equating her with Whitney Cummings and Chelsea Handler, the other two big female comedians who've got NBC pilots airing this fall.  I don't expect either of their shows to make through the season, so here's hoping Silverman fares better.  Not gonna lie though, I'm more than a bit worried her warped brand of humor won't translate on network television.

I quite like Sarah Silverman.  While I recognize that she's somewhat of a polarizing figure in comedy, I find her bizarre mix of childlike innocence and insane perversity to be both original and hilarious.  I also enjoyed her short-lived Comedy Central series, specifically the brilliant use of Brian Posehn and Steve Agee as a gay couple who would high five instead of make out.

Deadline reports that Silverman is pitching a new single camera half-hour comedy around town and that ABC and NBC have already entered into something of a bidding war.  It probably doesn't hurt that the project was developed at Imagine and that Ron Howard is so taken with the show that he's been personally attending all the network pitch meetings.  It always helps to have Opie in your corner.

The semi-autobiographical show will focus on Silverman's character, a young woman who's adjusting to single life after a decade of living with her boyfriend.  She'll be writing and producing along with The Sarah Silverman Program vets Dan Sterling and Jon Schroeder.  It's worth noting that Dan Harmon was also part of that same producing team before he left to create the brilliant Community over at NBC.  If the peacock is serious about bringing Silverman on board, I expect Harmon will be getting a phone call sooner rather than later.