Colin Jost, famous for his work as co-host of Weekend Update on Saturday Night Live, is reportedly creating a new TV series for Peacock. According to Variety, the show would be based on the true story of Larry Lavin, a dentist who also led a double life as a drug kingpin in the 1970s and 80s. Jost is expected to star as Lavin and also work as an executive producer if the series is picked up.
I’ve been watching Colin Jost on Saturday Night Live for years – he came on as a writer back in 2005 and has stuck around, even leading the writing team a few times. He pops up in front of the camera too, usually playing Pete Hegseth on the show, and he’s had small roles in films like Staten Island Summer and Coming 2 America. But honestly, he’s mostly known for comedy – I haven’t really seen him tackle anything super dramatic.
Despite their seemingly different lives, Jost and Lavin actually had some things in common. Lavin, a dentist who went to an Ivy League school and lived in a nice Pennsylvania suburb, secretly ran a drug operation targeting wealthy customers – it became known as “the Yuppie conspiracy.” When his activities were discovered in 1984, he went on the run with his pregnant wife and young son, settling in a Virginia Beach boating community under assumed names. The FBI eventually found and arrested him there in 1986.
Colin Jost also comes from a privileged background – he went to Harvard and even led the Harvard Lampoon comedy magazine. Weekend Update often jokes about his upbringing, like when Michael Che deliberately makes him read edgy jokes to get a reaction. So, while Jost hasn’t done anything illegal, he and his wife, Lavin, both share a history of privilege.
The upcoming Peacock series, currently without a title, will likely use humor to explore the unusual circumstances surrounding Lavin’s story. The show is being led by Alex Barnow, a seasoned sitcom writer who began his career on Family Guy, co-created Mr. Sunshine with Matthew Perry, and spent a decade working on The Goldbergs, even serving as showrunner for two seasons. Given Barnow’s sitcom background and Jost’s comedic experience, the show, despite being based on a serious true story, is expected to find moments of levity. The series will tell the “shocking and absurd true story of the suburban dentist who built a drug empire while appearing to live the American dream.”
Whether or not the show actually happens depends on Peacock’s decision. If it’s approved, Jost’s involvement won’t interfere with his work on Saturday Night Live.
The new Peacock show is inspired by the first season of the true crime podcast “Wolves Among Us,” which will still be available to listen to even after the show airs. Meanwhile, Colin Jost is currently on Saturday Night Live and will also star in the comedy film The Breadwinner, hitting theaters on May 29th, alongside comedian Nate Bargatze.
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2026-04-04 19:17