Penned by Rebecca Addelman, the pilot is from Paramount Television and Jenny Bicks and Karen Rosenfelt (Sex and the City).

Set in San Francisco, the TV program, according to the industry website, “revolves around three women—friends and classmates in the ’90s—who reconnect after their close friend from college dies in a freak accident. When they discover that they are all at a romantic crossroads, they band together to tackle divorce, relationships and life’s other annoying challenges.”

Hannigan has been cast as Maggie, an English professor, who is described as such: “Once an aspiring poet, she is a bright but frustrated woman who is struggling to put excitement back into her flagging marriage. When her old college friend dies, she is galvanized to finally make changes, starting with leaving her husband and tackling life with a renewed sense of adventure.” Hilty will play the role of Kim, formerly a successful actress who has “’aged out’ of Hollywood. Needy and vulnerable, she works hard at staying fit and gorgeous, still hoping for that breakout role, while doing cheesy commercials.”

The popular 1996 Paramount film The First Wives Club was based on Olivia Goldsmith's novel and featured a screenplay by Robert Harling. The motion picture grossed over $130 million and starred Bette Midler, Goldie Hawn and Diane Keaton.

A musical version was most recently seen in Chicago in February 2015. With a book by five-time Emmy Award nominee Linda Bloodworth Thomason and direction by Simon Phillips, First Wives Club: The Musical features original songs and classic hits by Motown legends Eddie Holland, Lamont Dozier and Brian Holland. The musical was adapted from an earlier version by Rupert Holmes, with additional material by Simon Phillips.