Greg Berlanti’s assault on the TV record books continues.
The prolific producer — who already has a record 15 scripted series on the air — has landed his third pilot order of the season and first at Fox. The latter network has given a formal order to Prodigal Son, a cop drama written by Chris Fedak (Berlanti-produced Legends of Tomorrow, Deception) and Sam Sklaver (Deception).
Prodigal Son, first put in development in September with a sizable put-pilot commitment, revolves around Malcolm Bright, the son of a notorious serial killer called The Surgeon who understands how killers think. The criminal psychologist uses his skills to help the NYPD solve crimes and stop killers while balancing his manipulative mother and annoyingly normal sister and a homicidal father still looking to bond with his prodigal son. The drama is described as a fresh take on the crime franchise with a darkly comedic tone.
Fedak and Sklaver will pen the script and exec produce alongside Berlanti and his Warner Bros. TV-based Berlanti Productions topper Sarah Schechter. The drama will be a co-production between WBTV and Fox, which is poised to lose its studio when the $72 billion Disney deal is completed. The network had committed to ordering 50 percent of its pilots from outside studios leading into pilot season.
All told, this is the third pilot order of the season for Berlanti as Prodigal Son joins The CW’s Riverdale spinoff Katy Keene and DC Comics entry Batwoman as the producer looks to expand his record 15 scripted TV series beyond The CW’s All American, Arrow, Black Lightning, Legends of Tomorrow, The Flash, Riverdale andSupergirl; NBC’s Blindspot, CBS’ God Friended Me andThe Red Line; Netflix’s Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and Lifetime transplant You; and DC Universe’s Stargirl, Titans and Doom Patrol.
This is Fox’s second drama pilot and sixth overall project of the season. It’s the first that hails from an outside studio — Warner Bros. TV.
Keep up with the latest broadcast pilot season pickups, castings and series orders with The Hollywood Reporter‘s annual guide.
