ABC comedy pilot 'Pulling' pulls in replacement for Mandy Moore

Following the departure of the miscast Mandy Moore late last week, the ABC single-camera comedy pilot Pulling has replaced her with The Daily Show's Senior Women's Correspondent and also added a former Saturday Night Live performer to complete the main cast.

Actress/comedian/writer Kristen Schaal has stepped into the co-starring role vacated by Moore in this dysfunctional sitcom about three thirtysomething women choosing to live their lives how they see fit, despite society's expectation that they should have it all figured out by now.

Schaal will play Louise, described at the time of Moore's casting as an optimist whose desperate search for a husband is constantly foiled when her "man-hungry" behavior backfires.

Aside from her appearances on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Schaal is also known for her recurring role on NBC's 30 Rock and for playing obsessive fan Mel on HBO's Flight of the Conchords. Currently, she lends her voice to animated characters on FOX's Bob's Burgers and the Disney Channel's Gravity Falls.

Schaal will be joined by another actress/comedian/writer in a co-starring role. Best known for memorably dropping an F-bomb on live television in her SNL debut, Jenny Slate will play Karen, a prim and proper professional woman who turns into a wildcat after her working hours are over.

In addition to her one season on SNL, Slate had recurring roles on HBO's Bored To Death and NBC's Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. She has also appeared on another HBO series, Girls, as well as FOX's Raising Hope and Showtime's House of Lies.

Last month, actress/comedian/writer June Diane Raphael was cast as the third friend, Donna, a sharp career woman with a boring fiance. Matt Oberg, the first male cast member of Pulling to be announced, has landed the role of that boring fiance, named Karl. Oberg has appeared on 30 Rock and Hart of Dixie this season and also supplied his voice as the main character Mark on Comedy Central's animated series Ugly Americans.

Based a British series of the same title, Pulling is written by Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky, who successfully adapted BBC's The Office for NBC. Jason Moore, director of last year's feature comedy Pitch Perfect, will helm the pilot.

It's pretty obvious now why Mandy Moore was turfed with the hiring of Kristen Schaal and the fact that the three female leads are well-versed in all aspects of comedy, like original series creator Sharon Horgan. Although Moore brings a warmth and humanity to her roles, she isn't a comedian and seemed completely wrong for this project.

How do you feel about Pulling's revamped cast?