The new show will adapt McCurdy’s raw and darkly funny memoir, which detailed her fraught relationship with her controlling and narcissistic mother. Aniston will play the offended mother — whom sources close to the series describe as a woman who knows how to use the “spotlight” as the “starlet’s mother” with a 1962-1963 Lucille Ball cadence, against a model of McCurdy as an 18-year-old actress starring in a popular kids” show.
A Memoir That Struck a Chord
Jennette McCurdy became a household name starring as Sam Puckett on the popular Nickelodeon show iCarly, but off-camera she was dealing with personal turmoil. Published by Simon & Schuster on August 9, 2022, the book was a cultural phenomenon, debuting at No. 1 on the New York Times best seller list, where it remained for more than 80 weeks.
A harrowing portrait of growing up in the public eye under the emotional stranglehold of a domineering parent, the book provides powerful insight. Its blend of humor and heartbreak received critical acclaim for its honesty and emotional resonance — and is likely to inform the tenor of the new Apple TV+ series.
Behind the Scenes
McCurdy will also have a significant role behind the camera as she writes, produces, and showruns the series with Ramy co-creator Ari Katcher. Jennifer Aniston (who will also EP) not only brings star power but production chops as well, contributing to her ongoing hot streak with Apple TV+.
Aniston is now on screen as Alex Levy in The Morning Show, which begins its season four run on September 17.
That series, adapted from the nonfiction book Top of the Morning by CNN’s Brian Stelter, has been hailed by critics and awarded by the industry.
The new series does not yet have a release date, but between its buzzy cast and gut-wrenching source material, I’m Glad My Mom Died is already one of the most hotly anticipated projects on Apple TV+’s future slate.
