HBO partnership
HBO purchases a stake in Funny or Die and commissions McKay, Ferrell, Henchy, and Judd Apatow to produce an initial series of 10 half-hour episodes. The cable channel looks for an experienced producer to join the project, which begins after talks between executives and Ferrell and McKay’s Gary Sanchez Productions. McKay says:
Our idea in going into Funny or Die was that it would be a kind of clubhouse for us and friends of ours who could come and try stuff that they couldn’t do as easily in movies or TV. And it was also about us getting to find new talent.