Craig T. Nelson said goodbye to his role as Zeke Braverman on Parenthood recently in a poignant finale, but is heading straight back to NBC to star in the show that first made him famous. Nelson will reprise his role as Hayden Fox in the network’s revival of Coach.
Coach ran on ABC for nine seasons from 1989 to 1997, with Craig T. Nelson in the leading role as the coach of a fictional college football team. In the new series–a continuation, not a reboot–Nelson’s character is back in real time, 18 years later, and is called upon to help his son. Hayden Fox’s son is now the coach of a start-up football team at an Ivy League college.
In addition to Craig T. Nelson, the original Coach also starred Shelley Fabares, Jerry Van Dyke, Bill Fagerbakke, and Clare Carey. It’s not yet known if any of these actors will be reprising their roles as well. The original series ended with Hayden and his wife (played by Shelley Fabares) adopting a child, as they’d been unable to conceive. This is no doubt the son who now assumes the coaching role.
NBC is bringing back Coach with Craig T. Nelson http://t.co/JBgs7VUmfA pic.twitter.com/atxk1iNKYd
— People magazine (@people) March 27, 2015
The revival of Coach has been in the works since before Parenthood came to an end. Craig T. Nelson spoke about the possibility of him returning to star in the show during an interview with The Hollywood Reporter then.
“We’re talking about it. I’m really at a quandary. But I’ve been approached and we’re thinking about it and talked through it a little bit,” he said at the time. “I don’t know. It would be a new form; it’s his son. He adopted a son and his son now has become a coach.”
Barry Kemp is the creator of the original series, and he is returning to write and executive produce the new series for Universal Television. Craig T. Nelson is also executive producing.
Coach will make it’s initial return to TV with a 13-episode season. No date has yet been announced for its premiere.
Will you be tuning in to see Craig T. Nelson reprise his role on Coach?