Modern Family Producer Steve Levitan is back Fox

Steve Levitan is back again at Fox. The neighborhood has selected up Returning, a single-camera humor from the Modern Family co-creator, Joe Port and Joe Wiseman, with Modern Family helmer Jason Winer on board to primary. The start order comes a couple of days after 20th Century Fox TV — where Levitan, Port and Wiseman are under general deals — sent the comedy spec to the broadcast networks. Written by Port and Wiseman, Rebounding was inspired by Port’s real-life experiences.It is described as an uplifting comedy about a man recovering from the death of his fiance with the help of the idiots on his pick-up basketball team. Levitan, who has been very involved in the development of the project, was originally attached to direct but his schedule is not permitting, so Winer, who directed the pilot for Modern Family DVD, will helm Rebounding, exec produced by Levitan, Port and Wiseman. This is a second pilot directing gig for Winer this season, along with the NBC comedy 1600.

Levitan and his Modern Family DVD co-creator Christopher Lloyd had a falling out with Fox over the 2008 cancellation of their multi-camera comedy series Back To You after one season. Levitan and Lloyd spoke publicly against the decision and famously refused to shop their followup project, blockbuster Modern Family DVD, to Fox. The relationship has since been repaired, and now Levitan is back in business with Fox and its entertainment president Kevin Reilly. Earlier this season Port & Wiseman worked on a Fox series, serving as co-executive producers on freshman breakout New Girl. There they worked with Winer who directed multiple episodes of the show. Fox, which also picked up 2 cast-contingent comedy pilots this afternoon, has one high-profile half-hour script still in contention, a sibling comedy from How I Met Your Mother co-creators/executive producers Carter Bays & Craig Thomas and HIMYM executive producer Chris Harris.