Following a development season marred by the ongoing battle between the Writers Guild of America and the agencies over packaging fees and affiliated studios, the broadcast networks continued a more prolonged development season and are gearing up for the first pilot season without the latter. Many insiders don’t expect the feud to impact pilot pickups, though come May when series orders are on the line, it’s anyone’s guess as to how the status quo may change.
As for now, the broadcast networks continue to compete not only with one another, but also with basic and premium cable and streaming services new and old including forthcoming platforms from NBCUniversal (Peacock, due in April) and WarnerMedia (HBO Max, in May). As in the past few years, the networks continue to offer the biggest commitments to A-list stars and proven formulas (i.e. reboots and spinoffs) as they look to cut through the clutter.
Here’s a look at the pilots in contention for the 2020-21 television season, as ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC and The CW sift through hundreds of scripts and march forward in a bid to find the next breakout comedies and dramas.
Bookmark THR.com/PilotSeason, as well as this page, as The Hollywood Reporter will update this guide throughout the season with the latest pilot orders, castings and eventual series pickups.
* Denotes casting has been completed.
Update, June 29: As the novel coronavirus pandemic completely upended pilot season, the current status of each pilot is next to the title. We will update this story as more information becomes available.
ABC COMEDY
Adopted (yet to film; in contention)
Logline: When a Green Beret returns home to Texas from military service, he and his family struggle with the challenges of adopting his new brother, a 12-year-old Russian boy. Inspired by a true story.
Cast:
Team: W/EP Shawn Vance, Daril Fannin (The Green Beret’s Guide to Surviving the Apocalypse), Jimmy Kimmel
Studio: ABC Studios, Kimmelot
Format: Single-camera
Location: Los Angeles
Home Economics — SERIES ORDER
Logline: A series about three adult siblings — one in the 1 percent, one middle class and one barely hanging on.
Cast: Topher Grace (That ’70s Show), Caitlin McGee, Karla Souza, Sasheer Zamata
Team: W/EP Michael Colton & John Aboud (Penguins of Madagascar, Leverage); EP Eric Tannenbaum, Kim Tannenbaum, Topher Grace; Co-EP Jason Wang
Studio: Lionsgate TV, ABC Studios, The Tannenbaum Company
Format: Single-camera
Location: New York
Call Your Mother (formerly My Village) — SERIES ORDER
Logline: An empty-nester mom wonders how she ended up alone while her kids live their best lives thousands of miles away. She decides her place is with her family and as she re-inserts herself into her children’s lives, they realize they might need her more than they thought.
Cast: Kyra Sedgwick (The Closer), Rachel Sennott, Joey Bragg, Emma Caymares, Austin Crute (Atlanta), Sherri Shepherd (recurring)
Team: W/EP Kari Lizer (The New Adventures of Old Christine), D Pam Fryman (One Day at a Time, How I Met Your Mother)
Studio: Sony Pictures TV, ABC Studios
Format: Multicamera
Location: Los Angeles
Prospect (TBD; has yet to film)
Logline: A comedic Western with a feminist twist: an idealistic young woman (Hunter King, Life in Pieces) moves to the frontier to be a schoolteacher, but her ideals are quickly tested when she learns that her students are rowdy ranch hands, not children.
Cast: Hunter King, David Alan Grier, Diana Maria Riva, Dale Dickey
Team: W/EP Sherry Bilsing-Graham & Ellen Kreamer (Friends, American Housewife), D/EP Randall Einhorn (The Office, The Mick)
Studio: ABC Studios
Format: Single-camera
Location: Santa Clarita, Calif.
Work Wife (filmed in the fall; in contention)
Logline: Inspired by the real-life partnerships of producers Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest and writers Casey Johnson and David Windsor, it tells the story of a platonic male/female team whose professional success, personal friendship and ability to share deodorant makes their lives work. Set in the world of real estate, it follows Dani and Scott as they take the leap to start their own team. Now feeling the stress of being the boss, they have to rely on the yin-yang of their dynamic more than ever to keep their professional and personal lives afloat.
Cast: Angelique Cabral, Tone Bell, Christopher Gorham, Annapurna Sriram, Matt Shively, Maile Flanagan, Kelly Ripa
Team: W/EP David Windsor, Casey Johnson (The Real O’Neals, This Is Us), D/EP Todd Holland (Malcolm in the Middle, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), EP Kelly Ripa, Mark Consuelos, Albert Bianchini, Ryan Seacrest, Nina Wass, Amanda Shay
Studio: ABC Studios, Milojo Productions, Ryan Seacrest Productions
Format: Single-camera
Location: Los Angeles
Untitled Kapnek/Holland (yet to film; TBD)
Logline: A love story with a twist. It centers on New York teen Lennon Cochrane, whose life is turned upside down when she stumbles on a family secret. Casting for the comedy has already begun, with multiple offers having already gone out over the past couple of weeks.
Cast: Quintessa Swindell (Trinkets)
Team: W/EP Emily Kapnek (Suburgatory); EP/D Dean Holland
Studio: ABC Studios, Specifica Productions
Format: Single-camera
Location: Los Angeles
Valley Trash — PASSED OVER
Logline: The Harmans, a scrappy, blue collar family living in the deep Valley suddenly experience a major culture clash when their fourteen-year-old daughter, Abby, gets accepted to a prestigious LA private high school filled with students and parents who want nothing to do with her, her family or their 818 area code.
Cast: Jason Lee (My Name Is Earl), Lulu Wilson
Team: W/EP Niki Schwartz-Wright (Speechless); EP Nahnatchka Khan (Fresh Off the Boat), Jennifer Carreras; P Jason Lee
Studio: Universal TV, 20th Century Fox TV
Format: Single-camera
Location: Los Angeles
Untitled Shana Goldberg-Meehan (likely passed over)
Logline: A diva boss with no patience for working parents adopts a baby and has a change of heart, casting her mother-of-three assistant as an unlikely mentor and upending the office dynamics.
Cast: Lucy Liu, Hayes MacArthur, Tisha Campbell, Hayley Magnus
Team: W/EP Shana Goldberg-Meehan (Friends), D Christine Gernon (Speechless)
Studio: CBS Television Studios, 20th Century Fox TV
Format: Multicamera
Location: Los Angeles
ABC DRAMA
The Big Sky — STRAIGHT-TO-SERIES ORDER
Logline: Private detective Cassie Dewell partners with ex-cop Jenny Hoyt on a search for two sisters who have been kidnapped by a truck driver on a remote highway in Montana. But when they discover that these are not the only girls who have disappeared in the area, they must race against the clock to stop the killer before another woman is taken.
Cast: John Carroll Lynch, Dedee Pfeiffer, Ryan Phillippe, Katheryn Winnick (Vikings), Brian Geraghty (Chicago PD), Kylie Bunbury (When They See Us), Natalie Alyn Lind, Jade Pettyjohn
Team: W/EP David E. Kelley (Big Little Lies, Boston Legal, Mr. Mercedes); D/EP Paul McGuigan (Emergence, Sherlock); EP Ross Fineman, C.J. Box, Matthew Gross
Studio: A+E Studios, 20th Television
Location: Albuquerque Vancouver
The Brides — PASSED OVER
Logline: A family drama described as a sexy contemporary reimagining of Dracula. The project revolves around a trio of powerful female leads and features strong horror elements. It’s a vampire soap about empowered, immortal women and the things they do to maintain wealth, prestige, legacy — and their nontraditional family.
Cast: Gina Torres (Suits, Firefly), Goran Visnjic, Katherine Reis (Rise), Chris Mason (Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists), Sophia Tatum (I Am Not Okay With This), Erin Richards (Gotham), Charlie McElveen
Team: W/EP Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (Riverdale); EP Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter; EP/D Maggie Kiley
Studio: Warner Bros. TV, ABC Studios, Berlanti Productions,
Location: New York
Harlem’s Kitchen — PASSED OVER
Logline: An ensemble family drama set in a fine dining restaurant in Harlem. Ellis Rice, executive chef and patriarch, runs a successful restaurant with his wife and three daughters. But an unexpected death thrusts the family into turmoil and puts the restaurant’s future in jeopardy as long-buried secrets are revealed.
Cast: Delroy Lindo (The Good Fight), Sheryl Lee Ralph, Miguel Gomez, Clare-Hope Ashitey (Seven Seconds), Adrianna Mitchell, Pepi Sonuga
Team: W/EP Zahir McGhee; EP David Hoberman, Todd Lieberman, Laurie Zaks, Marcus Samuelsson
Studio: ABC Studios, Mandeville TV
Location: New York
Rebel (will film in the fall) — SERIES ORDER
Logline: Inspired by the life of Erin Brockovich today, the drama revolves around Annie “Rebel” Bello (Katey Sagal), a blue-collar legal advocate without a law degree. A funny, messy, brilliant and fearless woman who cares desperately about the causes she fights for and the people she loves. When Rebel applies herself to a fight she believes in, she will win at almost any cost.
Cast: Katey Sagal, John Corbett, James Lesure, Ariela Barer, Tamala Jones, Andy Garcia, Lex Scott Davis, Kevin Zegers, Sam Palladio
Team: W/EP Krista Vernoff (Grey’s Anatomy); EP John Davis, John Fox, Alexandre Schmitt, Erin Brockovich, Andrew Stearn
Studio: ABC Studios, Sony Pictures TV
Location: Los Angeles
Thirtysomething(else) — PASSED OVER
Logline: The new take on the beloved original will focus on the children of the main characters from the initial series, who are now in their 30s themselves. The stars from the original series — Ken Olin (who played Michael), Mel Harris (Hope), Timothy Busfield (Elliot), Patricia Wettig (Nancy), Melanie Mayron (Melissa) and Polly Draper (Ellyn) — will reprise their roles.
Cast: Ken Olin, Mel Harris, Timothy Busfield, Patricia Wettig, Chris Wood (Supergirl), Odette Annable (House, Tell Me a Story), Patrick Fugit (Almost Famous), Auden Thornton (This Is Us), Melanie Mayron, Polly Draper, Kendrick Sampson
Team: W/EP Marshall Herskovitz, Ed Zwick (who created the original); D Ed Zwick
Studio: MGM TV, ABC Studios
Location: New Jersey
Wreckage (TBD)
Logline: Based on Emily Bleeker’s book, the drama revolves around Lillian Linden, who, on the surface, looks like a brave survivor of a plane crash. But she’s been lying to her family, her friends and the world since rescue helicopters scooped her and her fellow survivor, Dave Hall, off a deserted island in the South Pacific. Missing for almost four years, the castaways are thrust into the spotlight after their rescue, becoming media darlings overnight. But they can’t tell the real story — so they lie.
Cast:
Team: W/co-EP Jacquie Walters; EP Sarah Timberman, Carl Beverly, Mark Martin, Keith Samples; EP/D Marc Webb; consultant Emily Bleeker
Studio: ABC Studios, Timberman Beverly, Black Lamb
Location: New York
Triage (filmed; in contention)
Logline: A character-driven medical drama that follows a pioneering surgeon, Finley Briar, over three distinct decades at the same hospital. With the evolution of medicine as the backdrop, the show explores the interconnected careers, friendships, and romances of Finley and her colleagues, and their tenuous relationship with time.
Cast: Michael Ealy, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Vondie Curtis-Hall, Gabriel Sloyer, Parisa Fitz-Henley, Andrew Richardson
Team: W/EP David Cornue, Showrunner/EP Erica Messer (Criminal Minds), D/EP Jon M. Chu, EP Steven Marrs, Courtney Hazlett, Caitlin Foito
Studio: 20th Century Fox TV, OutEast Entertainment
Location:
CBS COMEDY
B Positive (lone pilot to have completed production) — SERIES ORDER
Logline: Faced with finding a kidney donor, newly divorced dad Drew is at the end of his rope when he runs into Gina, a rough-around-the edges woman from his past who volunteers her own. Together they form an unlikely bond and begin a journey that will change both of their lives.
Cast: Annaleigh Ashford (Masters of Sex), Thomas Middleditch (Silicon Valley), Kether Donohue (You’re the Worst), Sara Rue (American Housewife)
Team: W/EP Marco Pennette (Mom, Ugly Betty), EP Chuck Lorre (Mom, Young Sheldon)
Studio: Warner Bros. TV, Chuck Lorre Productions
Format: Multicamera
Location: Los Angeles
Fun — PASSED OVER
Logline: A life-long love story between a brother and sister, who always encourage each other to have fun — no matter what hardship life is currently serving up. Fun celebrates life — in spite of the fact that the family business is a funeral home. As they say in their family: “You can’t spell funeral without f-u-n.” The brother returns to his Pennsylvania hometown to help his sister run the struggling business after his emotional and devastating break-up with … show business.
Cast: Becki Newton, Michael Urie
Team: W/EP Michael Patrick King (2 Broke Girls), Tracy Poust, Jon Kinnally; EP Becki Newton, Michael Urie
Studio: Warner Bros. TV, MPK Productions
Format: Multicamera
Location: Los Angeles
Ghosts (filmed)
Logline: A struggling young couple’s dreams come true when they inherit a beautiful country house, only to find it’s both falling apart and inhabited by many of the deceased previous residents. Based on the British comedy series of the same name.
Cast: Rose McIver (iZombie), Brandon Scott Jones (The Good Place)
Team: W/EP Joe Port, Joe Wiseman (New Girl); EP Mathew Baynton, Jim Howick, Simon Farnaby, Laurence Rickard, Ben Willbond, Martha Howe-Douglas, Alison Carpenter, Debra Hayward, Alison Owen, Angie Stephenson
Studio: CBS TV Studios, Lionsgate TV, BBC Studios, Monumental Television
Format: Single-camera
Location: Los Angeles
Jury Duty (cast released; still in contention)
Logline: A group of jurors are sequestered together until they all agree on a verdict — and they can’t even agree on lunch.
Cast: Jack Cutmore-Scott (Deception), Meaghan Rath (Hawaii Five-0), Sadie Calvano, Alanna Ubach
Team: W/EP Dana Klein (9JKL, Friends), Stephanie Darrow (The Odd Couple); EP James Acaster, Kenton Allen & Matthew Justice (Big Talk Productions)
Studio: CBS Television Studios
Format: Hybrid
Location: Los Angeles
Wilde Things (filmed; fka Please Hold for Frankie Wolfe, The Big Bad Wolfes)
Logline: Frankie Wolfe is an unfiltered, irreverent, powerful businesswoman with no personal life. When Frankie’s impossibly fragile and neurotic sister, Tommie, abandons Quincy — an incredibly bright inner-city child who Tommie attempted to foster — Frankie is faced with the choice of taking him in or casting him back out. Can these two lonely, damaged people find the love and companionship that has eluded them their whole lives?
Cast: Julie Bowen (Modern Family), Ken Marino, Milan Carter, Jeremy D. Howard, Stephanie Koenig
Team: W/EP Max Mutchnick, David Kohan (Will & Grace)
Studio: Universal Television
Format: Multicamera
Location: Los Angeles
The Three of Us (filmed)
Logline: Adult siblings who are children of divorce must circle the wagons when their sister’s husband unexpectedly announces he wants to call it quits on their marriage.
Cast: Oliver Hudson (Splitting Up Together), Malin Akerman (Billions)
Team: W/EP Frank Pines (Baby Daddy); EP Ben Winston, Jeff Grosvenor, James Corden
Studio: CBS TV Studios, Fulwell 73
Format: Multicamera
Location: Los Angeles
United States of Al — SERIES ORDER
Logline: Follows the friendship between Riley (Parker Young, Enlisted), a Marine who is struggling to readjust to civilian life in Ohio, and Awalmir (Al), the Afghan interpreter (Adhir Kalyan, Rules of Engagement) who served with his unit and has just come to the U.S. to start a new life.
Cast: Adhir Kalyan (Rules of Engagement), Parker Young, Dean Norris, Kelli Goss, Elizabeth Alderfer
Team: W/EP David Goetsch, Maria Ferrari (Big Bang Theory); EP Chuck Lorre, Reza Aslan, Mahyad Tousi
Studio: Warner Bros. TV, Chuck Lorre Productions
Format: Multicamera
Location: Los Angeles
Welcome to Georgia (will film in March)
Logline: When Penelope’s career takes off at exactly the same time as her husband’s, they call on Penelope’s young single mom, Georgia, to help raise their son, but what they find is Georgia needs more raising than their kid.
Cast: Hannah Simone (New Girl), Elizabeth Hurley (Runaways)
Team: W/EP Corinne Kingsbury (In the Dark), John Francis Daley, Jonathan Golstein; EP Aaron Kaplan, Dana Honor, Wendi Trilling
Studio: CBS TV Studios, Kapital Entertainment
Format: Multicamera
Location: Los Angeles
CBS DRAMA
Clarice (series production commitment) — SERIES ORDER
Logline: The drama takes place in 1993, a year after the events of The Silence of the Lambs. Clarice is described as a deep dive into the untold personal story of Clarice Starling — the role made famous by Jodie Foster in the 1991 feature — as she returns to the field to pursue serial murderers and sexual predators while navigating the high-stakes political world of Washington.
Cast: Rebecca Breeds (The Originals), Kal Penn, Lucca de Oliveira, Devyn A. Tyler
Team: W/EP Alex Kurtzman, Jenny Lumet (Star Trek: Discovery); showrunner Elizabeth Klaviter (The Resident); EP Heather Kadin; co-EP Aaron Baiers; D Maja Vrvilo
Studio: MGM TV, CBS TV Studios, Secret Hideout
Location: Toronto
The Equalizer — SERIES ORDER
Logline: A reimagining of the classic series in which Queen Latifah portrays an enigmatic figure who uses her extensive skills to help those with nowhere else to turn.
Cast: Queen Latifah, Liza Lapira (Unbelievable, 9JKL), Tory Kittles, Lorraine Toussaint
Team: W/EP Andrew Marlowe, Terri Miller (Castle); EP Queen Latifah, John Davis, John Fox, Debra Martin Chase, Richard Lindheim (creator of the original), Shakim Compere
Studio: Universal TV, CBS TV Studio, Davis Entertainment, Martin Chase Productions, Flavor Unit
Location: New York
The Lincoln Lawyer (series production commitment) — PASSED OVER
Logline: Based on author Michael Connelly’s series of novels and the subsequent 2011 feature film starring Matthew McConaughey, the drama revolves around Mickey Haller, an iconoclastic idealist who runs his law practice out of the back of his Lincoln town car as he takes on cases big and small across Los Angeles.
Cast: Kiele Sanchez (Kingdom), Angus Sampson, Jazz Raycole
Team: W/EP David E. Kelley; EP/showrunner Ted Humphrey (Wisdom of the Crowd); EP/D Adam Bernstein (Divorce); EP Michael Connelly, Ross Fineman
Studio: A+E Studios, CBS TV Studios
Location: Los Angeles
Ways & Means (filming in January)
Logline: A powerful congressional leader who has lost faith in politics finds himself working secretly with an idealistic young congresswoman from the opposing party to subvert the hopelessly gridlocked system he helped create. Together, they’ll attempt to save American politics … if they don’t get caught.
Cast: Patrick Dempsey (Grey’s Anatomy), Amanda Warren, Troian Bellisario (Pretty Little Liars)
Team: W/EP Mike Murphy, Ed Redlich (Without a Trace); EP Nina Tassler, Denise Di Novi, Tom Lassally, Patrick Dempsey; co-EP Joannie Burstein
Studio: CBS TV Studios, PatMa Productions, 3 Arts
Location: New York and D.C.
Good Sam (filming in February)
Logline: A talented yet stifled surgeon embraces her leadership role after her renowned and pompous boss falls into a coma. When he awakens and wants to resume surgery, however, it falls to her to supervise this overbearing blowhard who never acknowledged her talents — and also happens to be her father.
Cast: Sophia Bush (Chicago PD, One Tree Hill), Jason Isaacs (Harry Potter, The OA), Skye P. Marshall
Team: W/EP Katie Wech (BH90210, Jane the Virgin), EP Jennie Snyder Urman, Joanna Klein
Studio: CBS TV Studios, Sutton St. Productions
Location: Toronto
Out the Door (rolled off cycle)
Logline: Upon learning that his impending retirement is being pushed off by several years, an LAPD detective who just wants his pension so he can go off and live the good life decides to do everything in his power to get fired, but his bad behavior only leads to surprising success at solving cases.
Cast:
Team: W/EP Evan Katz (24), EP Jerry Bruckheimer, Jonathan Littman, KristieAnne Reed
Studio: CBS TV Studios, Jerry Bruckheimer Television
Location: —
FOX COMEDY
Call Me Kat (formerly Carla) — SERIES ORDER
Logline: Based on creator Miranda Hart’s BBC original series Miranda, the comedy revolves around Carla (Mayim Bialik), a 39-year-old woman who struggles every day against her mother to prove that you cannot have everything you want — and still be happy. That’s why she spent the money her parents set aside for her wedding to open a Cat Café in Louisville, Kentucky.
Cast: Mayim Bialik, Swoosie Kurtz, Cheyenne Jackson, Kyla Pratt, Leslie Jordan, Julian Gant
Team: W/EP Darlene Hunt (The Big C); EP Mayim Bialik, Jim Parsons, Todd Spiewak, Angie Stephenson, Miranda Hart
Studio: Fox Entertainment, Warner Bros. TV
Format: Multicamera
Location: Los Angeles
Housebroken — SERIES ORDER (animated)
Logline: The animated comedy explores human dysfunction and neurosis through a group of neighborhood animals who live in the suburbs.
Voice cast: Lisa Kudrow, Clea DuVall, Sharon Horgan, Nat Faxon, Will Forte, Tony Hale, Jason Mantzoukas, Sam Richardson, Bresha Webb, Greta Lee.
Team: W/EP Sharon Horgan, Clea DuVall, Jennifer Crittenden, Gabrielle Allan (Divorce)
Studio: Fox Entertainment, Kapital Entertainment, Bento Box
Format: Animated
This Country (will film in the fall) — SERIES ORDER for 2021-22 season
Logline: Inspired by the BBC format, the mockumentary follows a documentary crew as it goes to a small town to study young adults and their current concerns. Their focus is the daily lives of cousins Kelly and Shrub Mallet and their idiosyncratic surroundings. It follows the cousins as they pursue their dreams, confront challenges, and fight each other for frozen pizza. These two don’t have much, but they do have each other.
Cast: Seann William Scott (Lethal Weapon, American Pie), Chelsea Holmes, Sam Straley, Taylor Ortega, Krystal Smith
Team: W/EP Jenny Bicks (Sex and the City, The Greatest Showman), D/EP Paul Feig (Bridesmaids, A Simple Favor, Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist), EP Angie Stephenson, Charlie Cooper, Daisy May Cooper, co-EP Dan Magnante
Studio: Lionsgate, BBC Studios, Fox Entertainment, Feigco Entertainment
Format: Single-camera
Location: North Carolina
Pivoting (will film in the fall)
Logline: After the death of their childhood best friend, three women are faced with the reality that life is short. In desperate attempts to find happiness, they make a series of impulsive, ill-advised and self-indulgent decisions, strengthening their bond and proving it’s never too late to screw up your life.
Cast: Ginnifer Goodwin, Eliza Coupe (Happy Endings), Tommy Dewey, JT Neal
Team: W/EP Liz Astrof (The Conners, 2 Broke Girls), EP Aaron Kaplan, Dana Honor; D/EP Tristram Shapeero
Studio: Warner Bros. TV, Fox Entertainment, Kapital Entertainment
Format: Single-camera
Location: Los Angeles
FOX DRAMA
The Cleaning Lady (will film in the fall)
Logline: Based on an Argentine series, the darkly aspirational character drama follows a whip-smart doctor who comes to the U.S. for a medical treatment to save her ailing son. But when the system fails and pushes her into hiding, she refuses to be beaten down and marginalized. Instead, she becomes a cleaning lady for the mob and starts playing the game by her own rules.
Cast: Elodie Yung Shannyn Sossamon, Ginger Gonzaga (Kidding), Vincent Piazza
Team: W/EP Miranda Kwok (The 100), EP Shay Mitchell (Dollface, Pretty Little Liars), Melissa Carter (Queen Sugar)
Studio: Warner Bros. TV, Fox Entertainment
Location: Albuquerque
The Big Leap (started filming in November; on hiatus)
Logline: Inspired by a U.K. format, the hourlong pilot is described as a funny and contemporary tale about second chances, chasing your dreams and taking back what’s yours. The potential show centers on a group of diverse underdogs from all different walks of life who compete to be part of a competition reality series that is putting on a modern, hip remake of Swan Lake. What they lack in the traditional dancer body type, they make up for with their edge, wit and desire to reimagine an iconic story to fit their own mold. The Big Leap explores a journey of self-acceptance, body-positivity and empowerment at any age.
Cast: Teri Polo, Matt Lucas, Ser’Darius Blain, Ray Cham, Scott Foley, Simone Recasner, Jon Rudnitsky
Team: W/EP Liz Heldens (The Passage), D/EP Jason Winer, EP Sue Naegle
Studio: 20th Century Fox TV, Fox Entertainment
Location: Chicago
Blood Relative (will film in the fall)
Logline: Genetic genealogy is the best new tool in crime-scene forensics, and nobody knows it like Louise Kelly. Too bad she’s impossible to deal with. Based on a 2018 Cleveland Scene article by journalist and author James Renner.
Cast: Melissa Leo (The Fighter), Tate Donovan (The O.C.), Tyrone Marshall Brown (Love Is), Dascha Polanco, Tracie Thoms, Sarah Catherine Hook
Team: W/EP Chris Levinson (Law & Order, Legends), James Renner; D/EP Philip Noyce (The Resident, Patriot Games), EP Liza Chasin (3 Dot Productions)
Studio: Paramount TV Studios, Anonymous Content, Fox Entertainment
Location: New Orleans
Untitled Goonies re-enactment project (will film in the fall)
Logline: After failing to make it in New York and carrying a heavy secret with her, Stella Cooper returns to her distressed automotive hometown to substitute teach. She finds inspiration, hope and ultimately salvation when she agrees to help three students who are pursuing their filmmaking dreams by putting on an impossibly ambitious shot-for-shot remake of one of the student’s favorite movies: The Goonies. Over the course of the season, their passion will inspire a town in desperate need of hope in this love letter to the power of cinema, storytelling and dreams.
Cast: Ramon Rodriguez (The Affair)
Team: W/EP Sarah Watson (The Bold Type); EP Gail Berman, Lauren Shuler Donner, Richard Donner, Justin Falvey, Darryl Frank
Studio: Warner Bros. TV, SideCar/Fox Entertainment, Amblin TV
Location: Atlanta
NBC COMEDY
American Auto (will film in the fall) — SERIES ORDER
Logline: A workplace comedy set at the headquarters of a major American automotive company in Detroit, where a floundering group of executives tries to rediscover the company identity amidst a rapidly changing industry.
Cast: Harriet Dyer (The InBetween), Ana Gasteyer (SNL, Suburgatory)
Team: W/EP Justin Spitzer (Superstore), EP Aaron Kaplan
Studio: Universal Television, Kapital Entertainment
Format: Single-camera
Location:
Crazy For You (rolled to next season, cast released)
Logline: Revolves around Daisy who, with her life stalling, re-enters the dating scene only to discover that while she was out of the game, the game sort of, totally, completely changed. Realizing she is a bit rusty at being “normal” and “appealing” on first dates, she’ll need the support of her friends as she strives to succeed while being her true self in today’s quick-to-dismiss dating culture.
Cast: Shelley Hennig (Teen Wolf), Alice Lee, Tiana Okoye, Nick Cafero
Team: W/co-EP Rachele Lynn (Silicon Valley, SNL); EP Lorne Michaels, Seth Meyers, Mike Shoemaker, Andrew Singer, Hilary Marx, Jason Carden
Studio: Universal TV, Broadway Video, Sethmaker Shoemeyers Productions
Format: Single-camera
Location:
Jefferies (rolled to next season, cast released)
Logline: Jim Jefferies stars as a fictionalized version of himself – a comedian with a unique and often controversial take on modern life, relationships and co-parenting with his best friend.
Cast: Jim Jefferies, Betsy Brandt (Breaking Bad, Life in Pieces), Darien Sills-Evans, Mike Lane, Anthony LaPaglia
Team: W/EP Jim Jefferies (The Jim Jefferies Show, Legit), Suzanne Martin (Hot in Cleveland, Will & Grace); EP Sean Hayes, Todd Milliner, Tim Sarkes, Alex Murray
Studio: Universal Television, Hazy Mills, Brillstein Entertainment Partners
Format: Multicamera
Location:
The Kenan Show — SERIES ORDER (in 2019 and rolled to the 2020-21 season with reshoots)
Logline: Saturday Night Live mainstay Kenan Thompson stars as a newly widowed dad who is determined to be everything for his kids while begrudgingly letting his persistent father-in-law become more involved in their lives.
Cast: Kenan Thompson, Don Johnson, Chris Redd
Team: W/EP Jackie Clarke (Superstore); EP Kenan Thompson, Lorne Michaels, Andrew Singer
Studio: Universal Television, Broadway Video
Format: Single-camera
Location: Los Angeles
Night School (will film in the fall) — PASSED OVER
Logline: Similar to the 2018 feature film, the comedy follows a mix of adults at a night school GED prep class who unexpectedly bond over their shared experience and find themselves helping each other both inside and out of the classroom.
Cast: Shanola Hampton (Shameless), Josh Segarra (Arrow), Ian Gomez, James Earl, Joe Massingill, Collette Wolfe
Team: W/EP Chris Moynihan (Marlon); EP Kevin Hart, Will Packer, Sheila Ducksworth, Malcolm D. Lee, Bryan Smiley, Tiffany Brown
Studio: Universal TV, Hartbeat Productions, Will Packer Media, Bicycle Path Productions
Format: Multicamera
Location:
Someone Out There (rolled to next season, cast released)
Logline: A romantic comedy about two set-in-their-ways adults who are challenged by very unexpected strangers to become the best versions of themselves in order to find love and possibly each other. Based on the format Pequeñas Coincidencias, created by Javier Veiga.
Cast: Ryan Hansen (Veronica Mars), Aimee Carrero (Elena of Avalor), Neil Casey (Avenue 5), Kimia Behpoornia
Team: W/EP Matt Hubbard (30 Rock), Josh Siegal, Dylan Morgan; EP Emiliano Calemzuk, Gonzalo Sagardia, Javier Veiga
Studio: Universal TV
Format: Single-camera
Location:
Grand Crew (will film in the fall) — SERIES ORDER
Logline: An ensemble comedy about a group of black friends, their dating lives and wine.
Cast: Nicole Byer, Aaron Jennings, Carl Tart, Echo Kellum (Arrow), Justin Cunningham (When They See Us), Richard Brooks
Team: W/EP Phil Jackson (Brooklyn Nine-Nine); EP Dan Goor
Studio: Universal TV
Format: Single-camera
Location:
Young Rock — STRAIGHT-TO-SERIES ORDER
Logline: Based on Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s formative years, he will appear in every episode, bookending flashbacks to early points in his life growing up in Hawaii and becoming a wrestler-turned-actor.
Cast: Dwayne Johnson
Team: W/EP Nahnatchka Khan, Jeff Chiang (Fresh Off the Boat); EP Dwayne Johnson, Dany Garcia, Hiram Garcia, Brian Gewirtz, Jennifer Carreras
Studio: Universal TV, Fierce Baby Productions, Seven Bucks Productions
Format: Single-camera
Location:
Untitled L.A. mayor comedy — STRAIGHT-TO-SERIES ORDER
Logline: Originally conceived as a 30 Rock spinoff, the new series revolves around a wealthy businessman (The Good Place star Ted Danson) who runs for mayor of Los Angeles for all the wrong reasons. Once he wins, he has to figure out what he stands for, gain the respect of his staff and connect with his teenage daughter, all while humanely controlling the coyote population.
Cast: Ted Danson, Holly Hunter, Bobby Moynihan
Team: W/EP Tina Fey, Robert Carlock (30 Rock); Jeff Richmond, David Miner, Eric Gurian
Studio: Universal TV, 3 Arts, Little Stranger
Format: Single-camera
Location: Los Angeles
NBC DRAMA
At That Age (rolled to next season, cast released)
Logline: An exploration of an African-American family’s legacy. After the Cooper family’s golden child suffers a catastrophic event, seven family members face a foundational shift, make life-altering decisions and deal with deep secrets coming to light.
Cast: Emayatzy Corinealdi, Christian Keyes
Team: W/EP Carla Banks-Waddles; EP Malcolm D. Lee, Debra Martin Chase
Studio: Universal TV, Blackmaled Productions
Location:
Debris — SERIES ORDER
Logline: Two agents from two different continents, and two different mindsets, must work together to investigate when wreckage from a destroyed alien spacecraft has mysterious effects on humankind.
Cast: Jonathan Tucker (Kingdom), Riann Steele, Norbert Leo Butz
Team: W/EP J.H. Wyman (Fringe); EP Jason Hoffs
Studio: Legendary TV, Frequency Films
Location:
Echo (rolled to next season, cast released)
Logline: A high-concept, genre procedural revolving around a team of investigators who solve the highest-profile crimes by sending our heroes into the past … in the body of the victim. They assume the victim’s identity and must race against time to prevent the crime before it happens.
Cast: Reid Scott (Veep), Janina Gavankar
Team: W/EP JJ Bailey; EP John Davis, John Fox
Studio: Universal TV, Davis Entertainment
Location:
La Brea (still in contention; additional scripts ordered, cast released save for two) — SERIES ORDER
Logline: When a massive sinkhole mysteriously opens in Los Angeles, it tears a family in half, separating mother and son from father and daughter. When part of the family find themselves in an unexplainable primeval world, alongside a disparate group of strangers, they must work to survive and uncover the mystery of where they are and if there is a way back home.
Cast: Michael Raymond-James, Karina Logue, Zyra Gorecki, Natalie Zea (Justified), Caleb Ruminer, Angel Parker, Catherine Dent, Veronica St. Clair, Jag Bal, Jon Seda (Chicago PD), Rita Angel Taylor
Team: W/EP David Appelbaum (The Mentalist); EP Avi Nir, Alon Shtruzman, Peter Traugott, Rachel Kaplan, Ken Woodruff
Studio: Universal Television, Keshet Studios
Location:
Langdon (will film in the fall)
Logline: Based on Dan Brown’s international best-selling thriller The Lost Symbol, the drama follows the early adventures of famed Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon (played by Tom Hanks in three feature films), who must solve a series of deadly puzzles to save his kidnapped mentor and thwart a chilling global conspiracy.
Cast: Ashley Zukerman (Succession), Valorie Curry, Eddie Izzard, Sumalee Montano, Rick Gonzalez, Beau Knapp
Team: Dan Dworkin & Jay Beattie (The Event); EP Dan Brown, Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, Anna Culp, Samie Falvey
Studio: CBS Television Studios, Universal Television, Imagine TV
Location:
Ordinary Joe (will film in the fall)
Logline: The drama explores the three parallel lives of its main character after he makes a pivotal choice at a crossroads in his life. It asks the question of how different life might look if you made your decision based on love, loyalty or passion. Based on a British concept Matt Reeves originally developed for ABC in 2006.
Cast: James Wolk (Watchmen), Natalie Martinez, Charlie Barnett (Chicago Fire)
Team: W/EP Russel Friend, Garrett Lerner (House, Smallville); D/EP Adam Davidson; EP Matt Reeves, Adam Kassan, Rafi Crohn, Howard Klein
Studio: 20th Century Fox TV, 6th & Idaho, 3 Arts
Location:
THE CW
Kung Fu — SERIES ORDER
Logline: A quarter-life crisis causes a young Chinese-American woman to drop out of college and go on a life-changing journey to an isolated monastery in China. But when she returns to find her hometown overrun with crime and corruption, she uses her martial arts skills and Shaolin values to protect her community and bring criminals to justice…all while searching for the assassin who killed her Shaolin mentor and is now targeting her. Inspired by the original series created by Ed Spielman.
Cast: Olivia Liang (Legacies), Tzi Ma, Kheng Hua Tan, Gavin Stenhouse, Gwendoline Yeo, Vanessa Kai
Team: W/EP Christina M. Kim (Blindspot); EP Martin Gero, Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter
Studio: Warner Bros. TV, Greg Berlanti Productions, Quinn’s House
Location:
The Lost Boys — ROLLED TO NEXT SEASON
Logline: When a mother and her Gen Z sons move to the seaside town where she grew up, they discover there’s a sinister reason the local cool kids sleep all day, party all night, never grow up and never get old. Family bonds are tested as the brothers find themselves on opposite sides of a mythological struggle. Based on the 1987 cult classic that revolutionized how we think about vampires.
Cast: Rochelle Aytes (Mistresses), Branden Cook, Lincoln Younes (Grand Hotel), Ruby Cruz
Team: W/EP Heather Mitchell (Still Star-Crossed), Rob Thomas (iZombie); EP Dan Etheridge, Mike Karz, Bill Bindley, Lis Rowinski; EP/D Marcos Siega
Studio: Warner Bros. TV, Spoondoolie, Gulfstream
Location:
Maverick — ROLLED TO NEXT SEASON
Logline: In a present-day America that finds itself under authoritarian rule, the president’s daughter — raised to believe her father is moral and benevolent — has her worldview rocked on her first day at Georgetown. Challenged by her fellow students, and under the watchful eye of Secret Service agents, she’ll have to decide if her loyalties lie with her family or with a growing resistance as she navigates her freshman year.
Cast: Reina Hardesty, Nandy Martin, Zainne Saleh, Christopher Meyer, Zayne Emory, Mark Moses, Pete Ploszek
Team: W/EP Merigan Mulhern (Jane the Virgin); EP Josh Schwartz, Stephanie Savage, Warren Hsu Leonard; co-EP Lis Rowinski; D Larry Teng (Nancy Drew)
Studio: CBS TV Studios, Fake Empire
Location:
The Republic of Sarah — SERIES ORDER
Logline: Faced with the destruction of her town at the hands of a greedy mining company, rebellious high school teacher Sarah Cooper utilizes an obscure cartographical loophole to declare independence. Now Sarah must lead a young group of misfits as they attempt to start their own country from scratch.
Cast: Stella Baker, Luke Mitchell (Blindspot), Izabella Alvarez (Westworld), Nia Holloway, Hope Lauren, Landry Bender, Ian Duff, Forrest Goodluck
Team: W/EP Jeffrey Paul King (Elementary); EP Marc Webb, Mark Martin, Jeff Grosvenor, Leo Pearlman; D/EP Kat Candler (13 Reasons Why)
Studio: CBS TV Studios, Fulwell 73
Location:
Superman & Lois — STRAIGHT-TO-SERIES ORDER (production pushed to summer start date)
Logline: Follows the world’s most famous super hero (Tyler Hoechlin) and comics’ most famous journalist (Elizabeth Tulloch) as they deal with all the stress, pressures and complexities that come with being working parents in today’s society.
Cast: Tyler Hoechlin, Elizabeth Tulloch, Jordan Elsass, Alexander Garfin
Team: W/EP Todd Helbing (The Flash); EP Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter, Geoff Johns
Studio: Warner Bros. TV, Berlanti Productions
Location: Vancouver
Walker — STRAIGHT-TO-SERIES ORDER
Logline: A reimagining of Chuck Norris’ Walker, Texas Ranger, the drama follows Cordell Walker (Jared Padalecki, Supernatural), a widower and father of two with his own moral code, who returns to Austin after being undercover for two years, only to discover there’s harder work to be done at home. He will attempt to reconnect with his children, navigate clashes with his family and find unexpected common ground with his new partner (one of the first women in Texas Rangers’ history), while growing increasingly suspicious about the circumstances surrounding his wife’s death.
Cast: Jared Padalecki (Supernatural), Lindsey Morgan (The 100), Keegan Allen (Pretty Little Liars), Mitch Pileggi, Molly Hagan, Jeff Pierre, Genevieve Padalecki
Team: W/EP Anna Fricke (Being Human, Valor); EP Dan Lin, Lindsay Liberatore, Jared Padalecki
Studio: CBS TV Studios
Location: Texas
Untitled The 100 prequel (aka Anaconda) still in contention
Logline: Set 97 years before the events of The 100, the drama starts with the end of the world and a nuclear apocalypse that wipes out most of the human population on Earth. It follows a band of survivors on the ground as they learn to cope in a dangerous world while fighting to create a new and better society out of the ashes of what came before.
Cast: Iola Evans, Adain Bradley, Leo Howard
Team: W/EP Jason Rothenberg (The 100); EP Leslie Morgenstein, Gina Girolamo
Studio: Warner Bros. TV, CBS TV Studios
Location: Vancouver
Green Arrow & The Canaries (Arrow spinoff) (aired as planted episode during the final season) — PASSED OVER
Logline: Spinoff following the women of Arrow: Katherine McNamara’s Mia Smoak/Green Arrow and the Canaries, Katie Cassidy’s Laurel Lance and Juliana Harkavy’s Dinah Drake.
Cast: Katherine McNamara, Katie Cassidy, Juliana Harkavy
Team: W/EP Beth Schwartz, Mark Guggenheim, Jill Blankenship, Oscar Balderrama; EP Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter
Studio: Warner Bros. TV, DC Entertainment
Location: Vancouver
Send tips to: Lesley.Goldberg@THR.com and Rick.Porter@THR.com.
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