She replaces Kimrie Lewis-Davis in 'Great News,' which is slated for midseason.

Nicole Richie is ready to take over comedy.

The Simple Life grad and reality personality has been tapped to star in NBC's forthcoming comedy Great News in a recasting, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.

Inspired by the life of Tracey Wigfield, the comedy centers on a mother-daughter relationship that is challenged when an overly involved New Jersey mom (Andrea Martin) interns at her daughter's (Briga Heelan) workplace, a cable news network.

Richie has been tapped to play Portia, the role originally played by Kimrie Lewis-Davis in the pilot. Producers are said to have wanted to go in a different direction with the role. Portia is the hip, young co-host of The Breakdown, the cable news show within Great News. Sometimes a shrewd social media genius, sometimes a clueless idiot, Portia has little interest in her older co-host's (John Michael Higgins) hard-hitting traditional vision for the show.

Written by Wigfield, the 30 Rock alum exec produces the Universal Television single-camera comedy alongside Tina Fey and Robert Carlock. David Miner of 3 Arts oversees for the company. Beth McCarthy Miller directed the pilot for the series, which is due to bow midseason.

For Richie, the role marks her first scripted series-regular TV role following work on The Simple Life and Candidly Nicole as well as guest gigs on NBC's Chuck and Fox's Empire. She's repped by WME, Impression Entertainment and Grubman Shire.