TV Development for 8/19/14: Stephen Frears Set to Direct Fox FDR Limited Series ‘No Ordinary Time’

The Sound Of The Sumners Network: FOX Studio: 20^th Century Fox Television Production Company: Small Dog Picture Company Executive Producers: Peter Knight, Renate Radford, Jason Winer Writer: Peter Knight Director: Jason Winer (subject to availability) Logline: Exploration of a contemporary family featuring a unique musical element that involves an irreverent and buzzworthy use of original music and songs. Details: Script + Penalty No Ordinary Time Network: FOX Production Companies: Landscape Entertainment, Entertainment One Television, FX Productions Executive Producers: Bob Cooper, Tyler Mitchell, Hannah Pakula Writer: Paul Webb Director: Stephen Frears Logline: Chronicles President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s third term during World War II. The nerve center of a global war, FDR’s White House was transformed into something of a vibrant boarding house, the likes of which has never been seen again. With the president unable to venture out into the world during this time, he and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt sought to bring the world to them. Details: Based on the book, No Ordinary Time, written by Doris Kearns Goodwin. SSN Insight: Project is planned as a limited series. 10 Beacon Hill Network: ABC Studio: 20^th Century Fox Television Production Company: 3 Arts Entertainment Executive Producers: Amy Holden Jones, Erwin Stoff, Oly Obst Writer: Amy Holden Jones Logline: A brilliant team of doctors takes on the most difficult cases, led by a deeply compassionate medical genius with poor health habits of his own and his 17-year-old prodigy niece. Details: Script + Penalty SSN Insight: Jones was behind ABC’s limited series Black Box which has recently ended with no second installment ordered. Untitled Rob Reiner / Andrew Lenchewski Spy Project Network: USA Studio: Universal Cable Productions Executive Producers: Rob Reiner, Andrew Lenchewski, Alan Greisman, Charles Ebersol Co-Executive Producer: Aaron Tracy Writer: Aaron Tracy Director: Rob Reiner Logline: Centers on a Yale student with aspirations to be among the best and the brightest, who is recruited by the CIA to become a mole in the secret Skull and Bones society. He becomes caught between the two very powerful organizations. SSN Insight: Reiner is also developing Basket Case, a drama at Spike TV. Titans Network: WGN America Studios: Sony Pictures Televison, Tribune Studios Production Companies: Fedora Entertainment, Touchy Feely Films Executive Producers: Peter Tolan, Paul Giamatti, Daniel Carey, Peter Mattei, Michael Wimer Writer: Peter Mattei Logline: Centers on the Farrell clan, a family of outsiders who have been in the hills of Appalachia since before anyone can remember. Living off the grid and above the law on their mountaintop homestead, they'll protect their world and defend their way of life using any means necessary. Details: Ordered straight to series. Network has ordered 13 episodes. SSN Insight: WGN America is also eyeing another straight to series order for a project titled, Underground, which is starting to set up a writers room, though an official order has yet to be announced. So Where Were We Network: ABC Studio: Sony Pictures Television Production Companies: FanFare Productions, United Studios of Israel  Executive Producer: Jamie Tarses Writer: Matt Tarses Logline: Centers on a husband who just wants to spend the day at home, but whose wife can’t sit still. So they compromise and go out. In a new location every week, the husband’s small acts of rebellion or errors in judgment or bad decisions snowball toward disaster. Details: Based on the Israeli format. Untitled Billy Finnegan Comedy Project Network: NBC Studio: Sony Pictures Television Production Company: Olive Bridge Entertainment Executive Producer: Will Gluck Writer: Billy Finnegan Logline: Centers on Addie Burns who didn’t think life in New York City could get any worse… then she went through one door and it got a whole lot better. Untitled Dana Goodman / Julia Wolov Comedy Project Network: TV Land Writers: Dana Goodman, Julia Wolov Cast: Dana Goodman, Julia Wolov Logline: Loosely based on the real-life experiences of Goodman and Wolov when they moved in together after going through breakups at the same time. SSN Insight: Dana and Julia are also producing an animated digital series called Biatches for Comedy Centrals’ CC Studios. Promiseland Digital Platform: Amazon Studio: Amazon Studios Executive Producers: Noah Oppenheim, Chris Bremner, Adam Sher Writers: Noah Oppenheim, Chris Bremner Logline: A biblical drama that follows the Book of Joshua and how he became the leader of the Jews and the Israelites became a nation. Untitled Dan Sterling Comedy Project Network: CBS Studio: 20^th Century Fox Television Production Company: Lord Miller Executive Producers: Dan Sterling, Phil Lord, Chris Miller Writer: Dan Sterling Logline: Centers on an accommodating, well-meaning, and all-too-compliant man, and a powerful, outspoken, embattled woman who form a new friendship and partnership by which they jointly strive to revolutionize themselves and their lives. Details: CBS has given the project a put pilot commitment. SSN Insight: Project hails from an overall deal that Lord Miller has with 20^th Century Fox Television. Rope Network: NBC Studio: NBCUniversal Production Companies: Halfire Entertainment, Shaw Media Executive Producers: Tassie Cameron, Calum deHartog, Noreen Halpern Writers: Tassie Cameron, Calum deHartog Logline: Focuses on the Repeat Offender Parole Enforcement squad, an elite team of officers that specialize in finding criminals no one else can. After losing her partner to suicide, criminal profiler and so-called "hot mess" Jo McKenzie returns to her hometown and joins the Rope squad. Details: Based on a real law enforcement unit. Untitled Connor Hines Comedy Project Network: TBD Studio: ABC Television Studios Production Company: Brillstein Entertainment Partners Executive Producers: Connor Hines, Robin Schwartz, Brian Stern, Stacy O’Neil, Jon Liebman Writer: Connor Hines Logline: Storyline under wraps. Details: Project has landed a blind script deal. SSN Insight: Hines is behind the web series Local Attraction, which he funded with Kickstarter, about what happens on Tinder dates. Untitled Stu Zicherman Comedy Project Network: Showtime Studio: Universal Television Production Company: True Jack Productions Executive Producers: Stu Zicherman, Jason Katims, Michelle Lee Writer: Stu Zicherman Logline: Explores modern dating, centering on a recently divorced guy who tries to evolve and connect one date at a time. SSN Insight: Zicherman is also a Consulting Producer and writer on FX’s The Americans. The Devil’s Advocate Network: NBC Studio: Warner Bros. Television Production Company: John Wells Productions Executive Producers: Arnold Kopelson, John Wells, Andrew Stern Co-Executive Producer: Matthew Venne Writer: Matthew Venne Logline: Centers on a public defender who joins a law firm that is run by the Devil himself. Details: Based on the novel, The Devil's Advocate, written by Andrew Neiderman. SSN Insight: A film, which was released in 1997, was also based on Andrew Neiderman’s novel of the same name, and was directed by Taylor Hackford with Charlize Theron co-starring.