EXCLUSIVE: In 1984, The Cosby Show revived the sitcom genre and fueled NBC‘s ratings resurgence. Three decades later, Bill Cosby is looking to bring some of that magic back to NBC, which has been going though a rough time with comedies. The network has made a deal for a half-hour family comedy to star Cosby. As he did in the ’80s, Cosby has partnered with producer Tom Werner, whose company with Marcy Carsey produced Cosby Show. The new comedy will be built around Cosby, who will play the patriarch of a multi-generational family and, like the comedian’s previous family sitcoms — Cosby Show and Cosby on CBS — will channel his take on marriage and parenting. Cosby and Werner are meeting with writers on the project, which has been put on off-season development track.

Cosby and Werner had been mulling doing a family comedy for a while with the goal to reach a wide audience. “They would like to see a married couple that acts like they love each other, warts and all, children who respect the parenting, and the comedy of people who make mistakes. Warmth and forgiveness,” Cosby told Yahoo TV in November. “So I hope to get that opportunity, and I will deliver the best of Cosby.” In addition to the family comedy, CAA-repped Cosby also has been working on a reboot of his animated series Fat Albert And The Cosby Kids with writer-producer Tom Straw.