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Amazon greenlights comedy series ‘DINKS’ starring June Diane Raphael and Paul Scheer, from ‘Friends’ co-creator Marta Kauffman
The Apex Times

THE APEX TIMES

Culture/The Apex Times/Aug 3, 2:39 PM EDT

Amazon greenlights comedy series ‘DINKS’ starring June Diane Raphael and Paul Scheer, from ‘Friends’ co-creator Marta Kauffman

The streamer has moved a previously ordered pilot toward a series with Raphael and Scheer leading. The project was first disclosed by Deadline in April 2024.

2 min readEditor-approved Apex article

Amazon has given a greenlight to a new improv-leaning comedy series titled DINKS, bringing the June Diane Raphael and Paul Scheer-fronted project to the next stage after more than two years in development. Deadline reported on Aug. 3, 2026, that the series has been ordered at Amazon following an earlier pilot order.

DINKS stands for Dual Income No Kids, according to the project’s framing in Deadline’s coverage. The series is being created by Marta Kauffman, a co-creator of Friends, whose involvement connects the new comedy to a lineage of mainstream, ensemble sitcom storytelling.

Deadline previously revealed the pilot order in April 2024, describing the project as coming out of an agreement involving Lionsgate and other production partners. The new report places that pilot order on a timeline that extends well beyond the original disclosure, with the streamer now advancing the material into a series commitment.

Raphael and Scheer are attached as the lead performers, with Deadline describing the project as a comedy. Both actors are associated with improvisational work, and the project’s DINKS concept centers on the premise suggested by its acronym, aiming at a character-driven format rather than a straight sketch structure.

The new series greenlight also underscores how long streaming pilots can remain in development. In this case, the advance from pilot to series arrives after Amazon’s initial pilot order was disclosed in April 2024, followed by a lengthy period in which no series order was publicly confirmed.

Deadline’s report ties the development timeline to Kauffman’s role as creator and Raphael and Scheer’s starring commitments, indicating continuity in the creative cast as the project moves forward. The next operational step will be the shift from pilot production footing to the work needed to take a series from approval into ongoing production under Amazon’s timeline.

Why It Matters

  • The series greenlight moves a project from a pilot stage into a longer-term streaming commitment, affecting schedules for the attached lead performers and production teams.
  • For audiences, it indicates another scripted comedy option as Amazon continues to build out its comedy slate.
  • The lengthy gap between the pilot disclosure in April 2024 and the series order underscores how streaming development timelines can extend before public confirmation.
  • Kauffman’s involvement links the new series to creators with proven experience in mainstream ensemble comedy, which can shape audience expectations for the final product.
  • The move also reflects ongoing investment in creator-led sitcom formats built around character and premise, with improvisational talent at the center.

Sources

Key Facts

  • Amazon has greenlit the comedy series DINKS.
  • The series stars June Diane Raphael and Paul Scheer.
  • DINKS is created by Marta Kauffman, known as a co-creator of Friends.
  • Deadline reported that Amazon ordered a pilot for DINKS in April 2024.
  • Deadline reported the series greenlight on Aug. 3, 2026.
  • DINKS is framed as standing for Dual Income No Kids.