'Up All Night' tweaks its premise, changes Maya Rudolph's character

The version of NBC's comedy "Up All Night" viewers see in the fall will be slightly different than the one the network originally shot.

The reshoots have mostly to do with Maya Rudolph's character, who's changing from a PR executive in the original pilot to an Oprah-esque talk show host going forward. The change, creator Emily Spivey says, won't affect the core of the show about Christina Applegate's and Will Arnett's characters adjusting to being first-time parents, but it will allow for more comedic possibilities for Rudolph.

"We thought a talk show for Maya's character, Ava, would be a lot more fun," Spivey said Monday (Aug. 1) at the Television Critics Association press tour. "We liked the world she was in before, but because Maya and I worked together at ['Saturday Night Live'] and did things like this on the show, it just seemed like a natural progression. Once we started talking through it, it became obvious it would be more fruitful for us."

(The reshoots, incidentally, will also allow the show to replace scenes featuring an obviously pregnant Rudolph from the original pilot. They proved a bit of a distraction since she's playing someone who not only doesn't have kids but also isn't really considerate of those who do.)

In both versions, Rudolph and Applegate's new mom, Reagan, will work together; with Rudolph as a TV host, Applegate will work as her producer. Rudolph's character won't be nearly at the level of Oprah Winfrey (whom Rudolph used to imitate on "SNL"), but she will host the same sort of aspirational, female-centric show -- in addition to being a little clueless to Reagan's plight as a new parent.

"We want [Ava], on stage, to be someone who's amazing at her job and inspiring to women," executive producer Jon Pollack ("30 Rock") says. "And then offstage, her personal life is not ideal."

"Up All Night" will air Wednesday nights on NBC in the fall. It premieres Sept. 14.