Michael Strahan to Get Sitcom

It's not typically the case that professional athletes successfully parlay a second career as a sitcom star into a mantle full of People's Choice Awards. That doesn't mean former ballplayers can't eke out a living on the small screen, however. And while critical acclaim is nice, it's all about the work, right?

For example, who could dismiss Alex Karras' rousing performance as George Papadapolis in "Webster"? Then there was Fred Dryer as "Hunter", not to mention "Bob Uecker in "Mr. Belvedere." Forgettable or ironically hip? It's a fine line.

Either way, this distinguished-yet-still-not-fully appreciated-for-their-work group have paved the way for others. Like Michael Strahan, who, according to Variety, will get his own show.

"Brothers" will star Strahan as a retired NFL player who returns to his hometown and starts working to reconnect with his family -- especially his brother (Mitchell), who is confined to a wheelchair following a car accident.

Wow. An NFL player? Strahan's really testing the limits of his acting chops. To his credit, he appeared in an episode of Chuck -- and more than held his own -- which makes him eminently more qualified to be in front of a camera than, say, Terrell Owens. (Or Flavor Flav, for that matter.)