Amy Poehler arrives for the premiere of "Shrek the Third" at the Clearview Chelsea West Theater in New York on May 14, 2007. (UPI Photo/Laura Cavanaugh)

The announcement was made Monday by Ben Silverman, co-chairman of NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios.

Poehler is a "Saturday Night Live" player, and has recently co-starred in the big-screen comedies "Blades of Glory" and "Baby Mama."

"Amy is the ideal comedic talent to star in this new series from the executive producers of 'The Office,'" Silverman said in a statement. "We've been hotly pursuing her for some time to make the transition to prime time. She is at the top of her game as her starring role in 'Baby Mama' and her recent Emmy nomination show."

"This show suddenly got 100 percent easier," Daniels added. "Amy shines in everything she does. She can make even bad material funny, and I know we can write bad material."

"I worked with Amy at 'Saturday Night Live,'" noted Schur. "And she's one of the funniest, most talented people I've ever met. She is a terrible human being, but I am more than willing to overlook her many, many character flaws for the chance to work with her again."

NBC did not reveal the name of the comedy or what the premise of the show will be.