Brides
Network: NBC Entertainment
Studio: Warner Bros. Television
Production Company(s): Berlanti Productions
Executive Producer(s): Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter
Writer(s): Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa
Logline: A trio of strong, diverse empowered women- who happen to be the three brides of Dracula who have survived for centuries and are now living in New York City- do what they must to maintain wealth, prestige, legacy and their non-traditional family. Inspired by the novel, “Dracula.”
Details: Inspired by the novel, “Dracula,” written by Bram Stoker and published by Archibald Constable and Company in 1897.
SSN Insight: NBC gave a pilot order on September 1. Berlanti Productions is also producing Legends of Tomorrow currently in preproduction and ordered to series at the CW, Riverdale, in development at the CW and You, in development at Showtime.
By The Book
Network: NBC Entertainment
Studio: Universal Television
Production Company(s): Storyline Entertainment
Executive Producer(s): Dava Savel, Craig Zadan and Neil Meron
Writer(s): Dava Savel
Logline: The project explores the question: What do you do when your wife dies, leaving two kids to raise and you haven’t a clue how to do it? Simple – follow the instructions she left for you in a book.
SSN Insight: Storyline is under a three-year deal at Universal TV. Zadan and Meron are also producing NBC’s live holiday production of The Wiz and in production on the NBC comedy series Better Late Than Never.
Untitled Gloria Allred Drama Project
Network: CBS Entertainment
Studio: CBS Television Studios
Production Company(s): Principato-Young Entertainment
Executive Producer(s): Gloria Allred, Deborah Schoeneman, Peter Principato, Paul Young
Writer(s): Deborah Schoeneman
Logline: A fearless, outspoken attorney takes on the toughest civil rights cases and is masterful at using the media to get justice.
Details: Loosely based on the life of lawyer Gloria Allred.
SSN Insight: CBS gave an initial script commitment on September 1.
Cleverman
Network: SundanceTV
Production Company(s): Goalpost Pictures Australia, Red Arrow International, Pukeko Pictures
Executive Producer(s): Amelie von Kienlin, Jan David Frouman, Kylie du Fresne, Ben Grant, Sally Riley
Writer(s): Michael Miller, Jon Bell
Logline: The story is set in the near future where a group of nonhumans battle for survival in a world where humans feel increasingly inferior and want to silence, exploit and kill them. Two estranged indigenous brothers are forced together to fight for their own survival.
Details: Based on an original concept by Ryan Griffen.
SSN Insight: SundanceTV acquired the U.S. rights to the limited six-episode series to premiere in 2016. The drama will have its market launch at MIPCOM in October.
Dawn
Production Company(s): Bainframe, Oil & Cattle
Executive Producer(s): Allen Bain, Gary Pearl, Thomas E. Carter, Tedd Smith
Logline: Humanity’s last survivors are saved by an ancient alien race just before the destruction of the earth. They are given the choice of either mating with the aliens to create a new mixed species, or die as the last humans.
Details: Based on the novel, “Dawn,” the first book in the Lilith’s Brood (or Xenogenesis) trilogy, written by Octavia E. Butler and originally published by Warner Books in 1987.
SSN Insight: Butler was a pioneer of the sci-fi genre and the first sci-fi writer to win the MacArthur Fellowship, otherwise known as the “Genius Grant.” She was posthumously inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame in 2010. Series currently in development without a network commitment.
Untitled John Francis Daley/ Jonathan Goldstein Comedy Project
Network: Fox Broadcasting Company
Studio: 20th Century Fox Television
Production Company(s): Chernin Entertainment
Executive Producer(s): John Francis Daley, Jonathan Goldstein, Peter Chernin, Dante Di Loreto, Jenno Topping
Writer(s): John Francis Daley, Jonathan Goldstein
Logline: A group of adult underdogs try to ignite a spark in their lives and stand up for themselves when their town is overrun by a teenage street gang.
SSN Insight: Fox gave an initial script commitment plus penalty as of September 3. Goldstein and Daley previously scripted Horrible Bosses and have been tapped to pen the Spider-Man reboot at Sony and Marvel.
Lab Rats: Elite Force
Network: Disney XD
Production Company(s): It’s A Laugh Productions
Executive Producer(s): Chris Peterson, Bryan Moore
Logline: Set in the “Lab Rats” world after the Mighty Med hospital is destroyed by a band of unknown super-villains. Kaz, Oliver and Skylar join forces with Chase and Bree to form a powerful elite force that combines bionic abilities and superpowers. Together, they vow to track down the villains and keep the world safe.
Details: Spin-off of “Lab Rats” and “Mighty Med” (Disney XD)
SSN Insight: Disney XD gave a straight to series order. Disney XD is ending the two series from which it connects, Lab Rats and Mighty Med. Their recent crossover episode, Lab Rats vs. Mighty Med on July 22 scored a one year high for Lab Rats in total viewers at 1.3 million.
Melville
Production Company(s): Red Productions, Smac Entertainment
Executive Producer(s): James M Johnston, Michael Strahan, Constance Schwartz, Justin “Red” Sanders, Derek Brown
Writer(s): James M Johnston
Logline: Marcus, a man in his 30s, resurrects his decade-old dream of becoming a hip-hop artist after being blindsided by a life-threatening disease. The show will explore the surprising, unpredictable way in which the owner of a coffee shop in Fort Worth pushes past obstacles to become a rising star.
Details: Based on the 15-minute short film, “Melville,” which debuted in 2015 at the SXSW Texas Shorts Competition.
SSN Insight: Red Entertainment last produced the sports move satire Balls Out that featured several SNL cast members. Johnston, Halbrooks and Lowrey co-run Sailor Bear Films, which produced the Melville feature as well as the Sundance films including Ain’t Them Bodies Saints.
Untitled Dan Fogelman Dramedy Project
Network: NBC Entertainment
Studio: 20th Century Fox Television
Production Company(s): Rhode Island Ave. Productions
Executive Producer(s): Dan Fogelman, Jess Rosenthal, Charlie Gogolak, John Requa, Glenn Ficarra
Writer(s): Dan Fogelman
Logline: The show will follow a unique ensemble of characters all born on the same day.
SSN Insight: NBC ordered the pilot on September 2. Fogelman, Requa and Ficarra previously worked together on Crazy, Stupid, Love which Fogelman scripted and Requa and Ficarra directed. Requa and Ficarra will direct this pilot.
Untitled Matt Hubbard/ Mike Schur Couple Project
Network: NBC Entertainment
Studio: Universal Television
Executive Producer(s): Matt Hubbard, Michael Schur, David Miner
Writer(s): Matt Hubbard
Logline: Centers on a happily-married interracial couple, Andrew and Josie, whose lives take a turn when they move close to Josie’s family in Missouri.
SSN Insight: NBC gave an initial production commitment as of September 3. Schur and Hubbard are both under deals at Universal TV.
Sneaky Pete
Network: Amazon
Studio: Sony Pictures Television
Production Company(s): Shore Z Productions, Moonshot Entertainment
Executive Producer(s): David Shore, Bryan Cranston, Seth Gordon, Erin Gunn, James Degus
Logline: The story centers on a thirty-something con man who, upon leaving prison, takes cover from his darker past by assuming the identity of a cellmate. “Sneaky Pete” hides out from the mob while working for the cellmate family’s bail bond business, taking down criminals worse than himself. Over time, he discovers a family life he’s never had, and possibly true love with a woman who sees through his BS.
SSN Insight: CBS initially ordered a pilot back in January but passed after the pilot was shot. Amazon picked the pilot up and released it on their Amazon Prime platform on August 7. Amazon has now given a series order.
Stuck in the Middle
Network: Disney Channel
Production Company(s): It’s A Laugh Productions
Executive Producer(s): Linda Videtti Figueiredo
Writer(s): Alison Brown, Linda Videtti Figueiredo
Logline: The story of the Diaz family is told from the perspective of Harley, an engineering whiz who uses her inventions to navigate life as the middle child in a large family of seven kids. Harley’s overlooked status proves to be both a blessing and a curse, as she maneuvers her way through the everyday antics that come with being part of a big family.
SSN Insight: Disney ordered the pilot in February and gave a series order on September 4. Jane The Virgin’s Jenna Ortega will star as Harley Diaz. Production starts in November for a spring premiere.
The Life And Times Of Teddy Roosevelt
Production Company(s): Authentic Entertainment, Electus
Executive Producer(s): Ben Silverman, Sean Canino, Jon Rubinstein, Jason Egenberg
Writer(s): David McKenna
Logline: Centers on the 26th President of the United States, who served two terms from 1901-09. Taking office after the assassination of President McKinley, the 42-year-old Roosevelt became the country’s youngest POTUS.
SSN Insight: Planned as a limited series. No word yet on a network commitment. Electus is also behind Separation Anxiety, in preproduction and ordered to series at TBS and Flaked in production and ordered to series at Netflix.
The Loop
Network: HBO
Executive Producer(s): Nancy Hower, John Lehr
Writer(s): Nancy Hower, John Lehr
Logline: Centers on a couple who downsizes everything and chooses to sail the Loop — a nautical course that cuts through the heart of America. All goes wrong when they become entangled in a smuggling ring.
SSN Insight: Hower and Lehr also produced the comedy series Quick Draw, airing for two seasons on Hulu and co-created with Robert Hickey the TBS comedy series 10 Items Or Less.
The Watcher
Network: NBC Entertainment
Studio: Universal Television
Production Company(s): Kapital Entertainment
Executive Producer(s): Alexander Cary, Aaron Kaplan
Writer(s): Alexander Cary
Logline: A psychological thriller based on real events surrounding a young couple and their two children who move into their dream home in a small town, only to be terrorized by anonymous letters and sinister threats, and trapped in the web of a dangerous mystery.
Details: Inspired by real events.
SSN Insight: NBC gave an initial script commitment on September 3. The project is the first sale under the overall deal Cary signed with Universal TV.