It’s a busy day over at ABC, which just picked up a slew of dramas, including projects from several TV veterans.
Four dramas received pilot orders, including Desperate Housewives creator Marc Cherry‘s Hallelujah, which centers on a Tennessee town that finds itself being torn apart by forces of good and evil. A stranger comes in to bring justice, peace and restore faith.
Produced through ABC Studios, episodes will be punctuated by songs sung by a gospel choir that serves as a Greek chorus. Cherry wrote and will executive produce with Sabrina Wind.
Primetime soap Revenge, penned and exec produced by Mike Kelley for ABC Studios, focuses on Hamptons newbie, Emily Thorne, who has a secret. She is welcomed into the community by her neighbors, but little do they know, every gesture of kindness is an invitation for their downfall. Marty Bowen and Wyck Godfrey exec produce.
Paranormal Activity writer-director Oren Peli‘s The River is about a search for a famous adventurer/TV personality who, with his crew, goes missing in the Amazon. His loved ones search for the group, but each have their own motivation for being there. During the search, they encounter mysteries, abnormal occurrences and adventures. Jason Blum and DreamWorks TV serve as executive producers.
Once Upon a Time, written by Edward Ktisis and Adam Horowitz, is about a boy who claims to be Anna Swan’s son. Anna is drawn into a town where mystery and magic of fairytales may be real and hold the key to unlocking her past. Kitsis and Horowitz to exec produce.
ABC ordered pilot presentations for Identity and Good Christian Bitches.
Identity, exec produced by Mark Gordon (Brothers & Sisters) and Deb Spera, was written by John Glenn. The procedural centers on an elite police unit formed to fight identity-related crimes. Glenn will also serve as an exec producer.
Executive produced by Darren Star and Aaron Kaplan, Bitches, is a primetime soap set in Dallas that asks: Is it possible to start over in a town that thinks they already know you? Robert Harling wrote the script and will exec produce.
According to the synopsis, it focuses on Amanda, the “mean girl” in high school, who returns home after her marriage ends in scandal. Her old classmates reacquaint themselves with the new, humbled Amanda, but will they give her a second chance or seek revenge?
ABC Studios is behind Identity and Bitches.
