SXSW proof-of-concept sparks development deal — JJ Herz’s twin comedy centers a lead with Down syndrome and champions disabled creatives.
Jaime Pressly’s newly launched production banner, Liston James Productions, has picked up a promising comedy series titled R&R after the project’s 10-minute proof-of-concept premiered at SXSW.
Created by up-and-coming writer-performer JJ Herz, the series centers on a pair of chaotic twin siblings and aims to reset expectations about disability representation on television.
R&R follows Rachel (played by Herz), a sarcastic, unapologetically gay mess, and her twin brother Robbie (Kevin Iannucci), a neurotically organized, hopeless romantic who has Down syndrome.
Pressly, who will serve as an executive producer through Liston James, is also slated to play the twins’ mother, Roda. Iannucci, who appears in the proof-of-concept, is expected to return for the full-length series.
Herz developed the series out of personal experience: their real-life relationship with a brother named Griffin, who has Down syndrome, inspired them to create a show centered on a fully realized lead character with a disability.
Herz notes the scarcity of such leads since Chris Burke’s portrayal of Corky Thatcher on Life Goes On in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and argues that disabled characters too often appear only as side characters. “I’d never seen a leading character that was anything like Griffin — strong, witty, independent, wanting to date and live a full adult life,” Herz said, explaining the show’s motivation.
The SXSW presentation and subsequent festival run have given R&R momentum: the proof-of-concept won the Inclusive Creator Award at SeriesFest 2025 and Best Pilot at the Baton Rouge Underground Film Festival.
It was also selected for the Nashville Film Festival’s Episodic program, with a screening scheduled later this month.
Liston James is currently raising independent financing for the first season; Deadline reports a full pilot episode has already been drafted, and the team will soon assemble a writers’ room.
Herz has been explicit about their hiring priorities: they want tVihe cast and crew to reflect their everyday world, seeking disabled actors, disabled crew members, and disabled comedy writers — and specifically inviting writers with Down syndrome to apply.
R&R will be executive produced by Jaime Pressly, Kelly Brown, JJ Herz, and Alex Herz, with JJ Herz expected to direct the full-length pilot. Writers with Down syndrome interested in joining the writers’ room are encouraged to submit samples via the show’s Instagram bio or at randrproduction.com.
