EXCLUSIVE: FX Networks has given a formal pilot green light to Little Demon, I have learned. The half-hour animated comedy stars Danny DeVito, his daughter Lucy DeVito and Aubrey Plaza. It comes from the Danny DeVito’s Jersey Films 2nd Avenue, ShadowMachine and FX Productions, with Rick & Morty co-creator Dan Harmon executive producing. I hear production is slated to begin next week

Primetime-Panic Your Complete Guide to Pilots and Straight-to-Series orders See All

Created by Darcy Fowler, Seth Kirschner and Kieran Valla, in Little Demon, 13 years after being impregnated by the Devil (Danny DeVito), a reluctant mother (Plaza) and her Antichrist daughter (Lucy DeVito) attempt to live an ordinary life in Delaware, but are constantly thwarted by monstrous forces, including Satan, who yearns for custody of his daughter’s soul.

Harmon executive produces with Fowler, Kirschner, Valla, Plaza, and Jersey Films 2nd Avenue’s Jake, Lucy, and Danny DeVito, and ShadowMachine’s Monica Mitchell, Corey Campodonico and Alex Bulkley. Steve Levy serves as a producer on the project.

For the past several years, FX has been looking to launch a new animated series companion to its long-running hit Archer, which migrated from the flagship network to comedy-centric FXX. Little Demon had been in the works since last summer, getting a blinking green light several months ago. With animation being the only TV genre able to stay in production during the pandemic, the network is proceeding with making the pilot now while all Hollywood live-action pilots and series are grounded.

FXX recently got back into original short-form animation space with the new late-night series Cake.

Both DeVito and Plaza are familiar FX faces — DeVito stars in the signature FX/FXX comedy series, It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia, Plaza co-starred in Legion.

Jersey Films 2nd Avenue is currently in development on a number of projects as part of a first-look deal with FX Networks. Charley Beil is the company’s SVP. Jersey Films 2nd Avenue is repped by CAA and Joel Behr of the law firm Behr/Abramson/Levy.

Plaza has been a long-time collaborator with the writers/creators. As a group, they have produced pilots, sketch comedy for various platforms and sometimes insist on calling themselves “The Terror Team.”