Apple orders 10-episode dramedy based on the NYT bestselling memoir
Apple TV+ is developing a new 10-episode dramedy based on Jennette McCurdy’s bestselling memoir I’m Glad My Mom Died, with Emmy-award winning actress Jennifer Aniston set to star and executive produce the project. The untitled series, currently in development at Apple Studios, draws from McCurdy’s widely talked-about 2022 memoir, which chronicles her early rise to fame as a child actor and the deeply complicated, often emotionally fraught relationship she had with her late mother.
Aniston takes on the role inspired by McCurdy’s mother — a figure depicted in the memoir as manipulative, controlling, obsessed and consumed by her daughter’s fame. The fictionalized adaptation will follow an 18-year-old actress at the height of her success on a popular kids’ TV show, and her overbearing mother who clings obsessively to the spotlight her daughter provides. The adaptation is being written and show-run by McCurdy alongside Ari Katcher, known for his work on “Ramy” and “The Carmichael Show”. McCurdy, who stepped away from acting after her breakout Nickelodeon years, also serves as an executive producer on the project.
The role signals a notable pivot for Jennifer Aniston, who has garnered critical acclaim for her dramatic work on Apple TV+’s “The Morning Show”. According to sources familiar with production, her involvement in the new series will not affect her ongoing commitment to “The Morning Show”, a flagship title for Apple TV+, which returns for its fourth season on September 17 and is widely expected to be renewed for a fifth.
Behind the camera, the series is stacking an impressive lineup of executive producers. Alongside Aniston, McCurdy, and Katcher, the team includes Sharon Horgan and Stacy Greenberg of Merman—Apple’s collaborators on the BAFTA-winning Bad Sisters—as well as LuckyChap’s Tom Ackerley, Josey McNamara, and Dani Gorin. Jerrod Carmichael and producer Erica Kay also board the series, which is being developed under the Apple Studios banner.
Originally published by Simon & Schuster in 2022, McCurdy’s memoir became a cultural flashpoint for its candid exploration of parental abuse, ambition, and identity within the entertainment industry. Written with biting humor and emotional clarity, the book debuted at No. 1 on The New York Times Best Seller list and held its place for over 80 weeks. The upcoming series marks McCurdy’s first adaptation of her own work, a significant milestone as she steps fully into the role of storyteller and showrunner.
Additional casting has yet to be announced, and a release date remains under wraps, but with a high-profile team and source material that resonated globally, expectations around the series are already running high.