'Emily in Paris' Creator Darren Star Teases New 'Much More Mature Show' with Neil Patrick Harris

How I Met Your Mother alum Harris stars in Uncoupled from Star, the creator of Emily in Paris and Sex and the City who spoke exclusively to PEOPLE about the upcoming Netflix series

Neil Patrick Harris as Michael in episode 108 of Uncoupled.
Neil Patrick Harris in Uncoupled. Photo: Barbara Nitke/Netflix © 2022

Darren Star is a bona fide TV hitmaker, with shows including Emily in Paris and Sex and the City on his résumé, and now the power producer exclusively tells PEOPLE he has something "completely different" on deck.

According to Star, 60, his upcoming Netflix series Uncoupled is a "much more mature show" than his previous offerings.

Speaking to PEOPLE at Variety's Power of Women event on Thursday, he also noted the show is also highly relatable because "I think we've all had breakups, and it's about a breakup."

He continued, "It's about a gay man who's [in his] late 40s, who's single in New York — and it's an experience that I can relate to and know a lot of people that have gone through it."

However, said Star, Uncoupled is "not about being gay or straight. It's about anyone who's having to start over again."

A day before Star spoke with PEOPLE, Netflix released its first trailer for the eight-episode series.

Harris, 48, plays a New York City man named Michael whose partner of 17 years leaves him. In addition to facing the prospect of being single in the city, Michael must come to grips with the thought of losing the man he believed to be his soul mate.

Jeffrey Richman, known for his work on shows like Modern Family and Frasier, co-created the series with Star. Both Star and Harris, 48, will serve as executive producers of Uncoupled alongside Tony Hernandez and Lilly Burns.

Harris's costars include Tuc Watkins, Tisha Campbell, Brooks Ashmanskas and Emerson Brooks.

Neil Patrick Harris as Michael, Tisha Campbell as Suzanne Prentiss in episode 104 of Uncoupled.
Courtesy of Netflix © 2022

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

At Thursday's event, which was sponsored by Lifetime, Star explained to PEOPLE what he views as the most important aspect of creating new shows.

"I wish I had a formula but I don't, each one is unique," he said. "Really, it just comes from something, you know, a connection I have to the characters, the experience. I can't do it any other way."

Uncoupled debuts July 29 on Netflix.

Related Articles