Beyond his role as frontman of Weezer, Rivers Cuomo has led a fairly unique existence. He grew up on an ashram in Connecticut; his father is a celebrated jazz drummer; he practices Vipassana meditation; he speaks near-fluent Japanese; and he graduated from Harvard University with a B.A. in English.

If you think Cuomo’s life would make for a perfect TV sitcom, you’re not alone. Previously, we envisioned his storyline as a Simpsons character, and while FOX has yet to return our calls, the network does plan to bring Cuomo to the boob tube in a different manner. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Cuomo has teamed with Psych creator Steve Franks for a new FOX comedy entitled DeTour.



The show is described as “a coming-of-age story that’s slightly out of sequence,” pulling from Cuomo’s own experiences to tell the story of a 30-year-old rock star who suddenly drops out of the spotlight in order to find himself. For context: In 1995, following the release of The Blue Album, Cuomo enrolled in Harvard. There, he spent the next 11 years studying in between the release of new Weezer albums and touring.

(Read: #RealLife: Weezer’s The Blue Album)

As THR points out, “DeTour would embellish [Cuomo’s] journey with a fictional character and the small band of misfit friends that make it possible for him to get through his formative years.” A major theme appears to be regret, as the Cuomo character looks to “rediscover the parts of his life he missed while he was busy becoming a massive success.” Franks will write the pilot script and serve as executive producer alongside his Psych collaborator Chris Henze.

FOX has given the series a “put-pilot order”; while there’s a chance DeTour might not ever air, the network has enough faith in the show to face a possible financial penalty if it doesn’t receive a series order.

As for non-television activity, Cuomo and his Weezer bandmates will release their latest album, Everything Will Be Alright In The End, on October 7th. Check out “Back to the Shack” and a preview of the Bethany Cosentino-aided “Go Away”.

Below, watch an ABC piece on Cuomo’s time at Harvard.