Larger-than-life characters and self-contained stories are on the drama docket for ABC this year.
The network — which sparked the recent interest in serialized dramas with the Emmy-winning “Lost” but saw its ambitious continuous-story-line dramas “The Nine” and “Six Degrees” fizzle in the fall — is staying away from the genre this development season.
“This year, we concentrated on close-ended shows,” says senior vp drama development Suzanne Patmore-Gibbs. “We don’t have any intensely serialized pieces.”
It was a conscious decision made in the summer — before most networks struggled to launch a slew of nail-biter serial dramas — that was aimed at a better schedule balance, Patmore-Gibbs says. But at the end of the day, it all came down to “responding to the best material.”
“A year ago, we had a lot of strong serialized shows,” she says. “This year, there’s a lot of strong character procedurals and soaps. They rose to the top because they were great stories.”
Indeed, Patmore-Gibbs notes that it was a good year for soaps with heavy dollops of humor (“Cashmere Mafia”) — a genre with which ABC found success this year with “Ugly Betty” and “Brothers & Sisters” — and character-driven procedurals (“Suspect,” “Marlowe,” “Judy’s Got a Gun,” “Women’s Murder Club”).
For a second consecutive year, ABC is leading the network pack with the most drama pilot orders. ABC’s total of 13 greenlighted projects is down from 16 one-hours picked up last season.
Cashmere Mafia
Production Co.: Sony TV/Darren Star Prods.
Production Team: Darren Star, Gail Katz,
Kevin Wade, Susie Fitzgerald
Four successful female executives, friends since college, rely on one another as they juggle the demands of career, family and high ambitions in New York
Dirty Sexy Money
Production Co.: Touchstone TV
Production Team: Craig Wright, Greg Berlanti
Idealistic young lawyer inherits the job of representing a rich, powerful and ethically flexible family after his father’s unexpected death
Eli Stone
Production Co.: Touchstone TV
Production Team: Greg Berlanti, Marc Gugenheim
Thirtysomething attorney (Jonny Lee Miller) begins to have larger-than-life visions that compel him to do unusual things; Victor Garber co-stars
Untitled Jon Feldman
Production Co.: Warner Bros. TV
Production Team: Jon Feldman
Revolves around four high-powered CEOs or CEOs-to-be who socialize at the same exclusive golf club; Michael Vartan stars
Football Wives
Production Co.: Touchstone TV
Production Team: Marco Pennette, Chris Brancato, Bert Salke, Bryan Singer, Maureen Chadwicke, Eileen Gallagher, Ann McManus
U.S. version of the ITV series “Footballers Wives” that focuses on wives of professional football players; Gabrielle Union co-stars
Judy’s Got a Gun
Production Co.: Touchstone TV
Production Team: Michelle King, Robert King, Stu Bloomberg
Suburban woman balances being a single mother with being a detective investigating bizarre suburban crimes
Life on Mars
Production Co.: 20th Century Fox TV
Production Team: David E. Kelley, Stephen Garrett, Jane Featherstone
Detective whose girlfriend has just been kidnapped finds himself transported back to the 1970s. Based on the BBC series
Marlowe
Production Co.: Touchstone TV
Production Team: Sean Bailey, Greg Pruss, Carol Wolper, Dan Platt, Phil Clymer
Procedural crime drama centered on the Philip Marlowe character set in present-day Los Angeles
Untitled Rina Mimoun
Production Co.: Warner Bros. TV
Production Team: Rina Mimoun
Revolves around a family of Southern lawyers
Mr. & Mrs. Smith
Production Co.: Regency TV/Dutch Oven
Production Team: Simon Kinberg, Doug Liman, Dave Bartis
Based on the hit feature about a married couple who are spies
Pushing Daisies
Production Co.: Warner Bros. TV, Jinks/Cohen Prods.
Production Team: Bryan Fuller, Dan Jinks, Bruce Cohen
Detective show/romance/fairy tale about a guy who can touch the dead and bring them back to life
Suspect
Production Co.: Sony Pictures TV/25 C Prods.
Production Team: Ed Zuckerman, Guy Ritchie, Sarah Timberman, Carl Beverly
Stylish, fast-paced procedural drama uncovering the perpetrator by tracing the suspects
Women’s Murder Club
Production Co.: 20th Century Fox TV
Production Team: Liz Craft, Sarah Fain, Brett Ratner, James Patterson, Joe Simpson, Shawn Ryan
Four girlfriends solve tough murder cases. Based on James Patterson’s series of mystery books
