NBC has beat out the rest of the Big Four networks to acquire Big Men, a new single-camera comedy project from Bridesmaids star Chris O'Dowd.

NBC agreed to pick up the project, which will be executive-produced by Irish comic actor O'Dowd, Joe Port and Joe Wiseman, with a significant penalty, according to an individual close to the deal. This means the network will have to pay for it, regardless of whether the concept reaches the stage of an actual pilot being produced.

Three Arts Entertainment's Dave Becky and 20th Century Fox TV's Nick Frenkel will also executive produce.

O'Dowd will write the pilot, which is based on his own concept about a group of men who meet at a weight loss clinic.

O'Dowd achieved Stateside notoriety over the summer, playing the sheriff's deputy who romances Kristen Wiig's lead character in Universal's comedy hit Bridesmaids.

He also appears in the upcoming Friends With Kids and co-starred in Pirate Radio.