Netflix is reportedly bringing back Doug Willsons beloved sitcom The Departure to its streaming service, the company’s first major move to get more diverse programming on the platform.
The Departed is an American sitcom that ran from 1992 to 1994 on NBC.
The series was about a group of middle-aged professionals who fall in love in a desert town, and the Netflix series will be an homage to the show’s success.
Willson died last month at the age of 89.
The show will be available on Netflix this fall.
Netflix declined to comment.
“It will be a perfect way for Doug and I to revisit this classic show, as well as a perfect time for us to reconnect as friends, to revisit our relationship,” Willson’s wife, Sarah Willson, said in a statement to Entertainment Weekly.
Netflix will also bring back a series of films about Willson and Willson family members, the Willson Archives.
Willson is a longtime collaborator with Netflix, working on original content alongside other notable creators such as Ryan Murphy and Amy Poehler.
Will Smith is set to direct the show with Willson himself producing alongside Willson.
“Doug Willson is a beloved, beloved icon of American comedy,” Willsson’s widow, Sarah, said.
“We’re so proud to bring the Departed back to Netflix, and it’s going to be a great tribute to his legacy.”
The Departs’ cast includes Michael Cera, Rosie Perez, Jodie Foster, Michael Shannon, Paul F. Tompkins, Rob Schneider, John DiMaggio, Michael Kelly, and Mark Ruffalo.
The sitcom was a ratings juggernaut and the show was nominated for a Golden Globe for Outstanding Comedy Series.
Netflix has also renewed its series about a family in New York that is caught in the midst of a murder mystery.
The network will premiere the first two episodes of the new series, titled The Murder of Doug, on Sept. 21.