All That Jazz Network: TLC Studio: Discovery Communications Production Company(s): This Is Just a Test Executive Producer(s): Aengus James, Colin Miller Logline: Follows the life of transgender teen and activist Jazz Jennings and her family. SSN Insight: TLC has ordered 11 episodes for a series order and has schedule to premiere the show this summer. Other transgender series include Discovery Life’s New Girls on the Block, ABC Family’s My Transparent Life, Ryan Seacrest Prods.’ MTL, HBO’s doc Three Suits, and VH1’s reality series Transamerica. Those series will give competition to the already airing Transparent on Amazon and Laverne Cox Presents: The T Word on MTV.
Believer Network: CNN Production Company(s): Whalerock Industries Executive Producer(s): Reza Aslan Logline: In each episode, Reza Aslan will dive into a faith-based groups to experience life as a "true believer." Aslan participates in endurance worship, rituals, and rites of passage, to learn about "worlds that have been molded by faith and tradition. SSN Insight: Ordered to series on March 10. Whalerock Industries, formerly BermanBraun, was founded eight years ago and is a media and technology company. Whalerock’s digital properties include: Wonderwall, Mandatory, Mom.me and Moviefone (in partnership with Aol) which reaches approximately 70 million consumers per month.
California Network: NBC Entertainment Studio: Sony Pictures Television Production Company(s): Nuyorican Productions Executive Producer(s): Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas, Jennifer Lopez, Gregory Nava, Barbara Jitner Martinez, Benny Medina Writer(s): Gregory Nava, Barbara Jitner Martinez Logline: The story tracks a fictional Latino family and their journey over 200 years in California from Spanish, to Mexican, to American rule. The narrative interweaves historical characters and events, and follows a family across eight generations from the days of the Californio ranchos and missions right up to the present. Details: Based on an idea by Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas. SSN Insight: Planned as a limited series. Nuyorican’s Lopez and Goldsmith-Thomas also produce The Fosters for ABC Family and the upcoming Shades of Blue starring Lopez on NBC. Nava first cast Lopez in his 1995 film My Family which aided her being cast in Selena. The pair collaborated again on Nava’s 2006 film Bordertown.
Can’t Touch This Network: BBC Studio: BBC Production Company(s): Stellify Media Executive Producer(s): Kieran Doherty, Matthew Worthy Logline: Game show where contestants get to keep any prize they get their hands on. The catch: they have to navigate a larger than life assault course while also battling it out with rival contestants. SSN Insight: The 10-part series is set to air in 2016. Ireland-based Stellify produces and develops original programming for UK and international broadcasters and was launched in spring 2014 with funding from Sony Pictures TV. Sony has invested heavily into the following UK production companies: Silver River Productions, Gogglebox Entertainment, Victory Television, Left Bank Pictures and the newly announced joint venture with Karl Warner, Electric Ray.
Falling Water Network: USA Network Studio: Universal Cable Productions Production Company(s): Valhalla Entertainment Executive Producer(s): Henry Bromell, Blake Masters, Gale Anne Hurd, Juan Carlos Fresnadillo Writer(s): Henry Bromell, Blake Masters Logline: Three unrelated people slowly realize that they are dreaming separate parts of a single common dream. Each is on a quest for something that can only be found in their subconscious: a missing girlfriend, a son, a way to communicate with a catatonic mother. However, the more they begin to use the dream world as a tool to advance their hidden agendas, they realize that their visions are trying to tell them something and that their very real lives are at stake. SSN Insight: USA gave an initial pilot commitment on March 12. The project is the first pilot order for USA in 2015. From 2014, Queen of the South is in consideration and Colony and Mr. Robot were ordered to series. Hurd previously executive produced the 2013 drama pilot Horizon for USA.
Impact Network: A&E Studio: A+E Networks Production Company(s): Company Pictures, All3Media America Executive Producer(s): Kimberly Peirce, Jason George, Eli Holzman, Stephen Lambert, John Yorke Writer(s): Jason George Logline: The story begins immediately following the downing of a major commercial flight near the nation’s capital. When the country’s best airline investigator learns that her son may have been on the flight, everyone she once trusted will become a suspect. Details: Based on the British TV Movie, "Impact," starring Hugh Bonneville, which aired on ITV in January, 2002. SSN Insight: After some competition, A&E bought Impact and given a script order on March 10. Pierce’s feature credits include Stop-Loss and Carrie
Untitled Jerrod Carmichael Project Network: NBC Entertainment Studio: Universal Television Production Company(s): A24 Executive Producer(s):Jerrod Carmichael, Nicholas Stoller, Ravi Nandan Writer(s): Jerrod Carmichael, Nicholas Stoller Logline: An irreverent multi-camera comedy inspired by his stand-up and his relationships with his girlfriend and family. Details: Inspired by Jerrod Carmichael's standup. SSN Insight: A pilot presentation was shot in December 2013, but was retooled with a new premise and new writer/executive producer Nick Stoller who directed Carmichael in the feature Neighbors. NBC ordered a fresh pilot on November 3 and gave a six episode series order on March 10.
Six Degrees of Everything Network: TruTV Production Company(s): Fine Brothers Entertainment, Inc., Marc Summers Productions Executive Producer(s): Marc Summers, Benny Fine, Rafi Fine Logline: Comedy hosted by Benny and Rafi Fine who will spend each week proving that anything in the world can be connected in six degrees. SSN Insight: TruTV has ordered 10 half-hour episodes, including the pilot. In addition to this project, TruTV has re-upped Hack My Life, How to be a Grownup, Top Funnies and ordered eight more episodes of Barmageddon.
S.T.R.O.N.G. Network: NBC Entertainment Studio: Sony Pictures Television Production Company(s): 25/7 Productions Executive Producer(s): Sylvester Stallone, Dave Broome, Kevin Templeton Logline: S.T.R.O.N.G. (Start To Realize Our Natural Greatness), follows six men and six women looking to reach their full potential by getting fit, not losing weight. The series will eliminate one contestant every week. Each of the 12 contestants will be paired with their own trainer and also six men and six women creating mixed-gender teams of two. SSN Insight: NBC ordered a 10 episodes series on March 12. Broome is the creator/executive producer of The Biggest Loser creator/executive producer. This project originated from Broome’s two-year overall deal he inked with Sony TV last year. Stallone previously teamed up with Mark Burnett for the NBC boxing competition series The Contender.
United Shades of America Network: CNN Production Company(s): Objective Productions Executive Producer(s): W. Kamau Bell, Jimmy Fox, Eli Holzman, Stephen Lambert, Andrew O'Connor Logline: W. Kamau Bell explores the "far corners of our country" and its "subcultures," He will ask questions, get himself into awkward situations, and make people laugh. SSN Insight: CNN Ordered to series on March 10. Objective Productions, founded by Andrew O’Connor and Michael Vine in 1991, has offices in London, Glasgow and Los Angeles is owned by All3Media America (jointly owned by Discovery Communications and Liberty Global).
Untitled Brian Knappenberger Series Network: Pivot Studio: Participant Media Production Company(s): Luminant Media Executive Producer(s): Brian Knappenberger, Jeff Skoll, Christy Spitzer Logline: A documentary series that reimagines investigative journalism for the digital age and spotlights the untold stories of people who defend human rights and call out institutional failures. SSN Insight: Scheduled to premiere in Q4 2015. Each episode will follow a single story, using a personal point of entry to examine a larger issue. Knappenberger won a WGA award this year for his work on The Internet’s Own Boy.
Untitled Molyneux Comedy Pilot aka The Brainy Bunch Network: ABC Entertainment Group Studio: 20th Century Fox Television Production Company(s): Imagine Television Executive Producer(s): Wendy Molyneux, Lizzie Molyneux, Brian Grazer, Francie Calfo Writer(s): Wendy Molyneux, Lizzie Molyneux Logline: Follows an extraordinarily gifted family who find themselves unprepared for their new lives in Orange County, California, a place where beauty is valued more than brains. Details: Inspired by the book, "The Brainy Bunch: The Harding Family’s Method To College Ready By Age Twelve," written by Kip Harding and Mona Lisa Harding and published by Gallery Books on May 6, 2014. SSN Insight: ABC gave an initial commitment plus penalty on September 11 and ordered the pilot on Janurary 30. James Roday, formerly known as a lead in Psych, was cast as the male lead opposite Melanie Griffith. As part of the Roday’s contract he has a blind script commitment from 20th TV to write and/or direct a future pilot.
Untitled Will Ferrell Baseball Special Network: HBO Production Company(s): Gary Sanchez Productions Executive Producer(s): Will Ferrell, Mike Farah, Joe Farrell, Stuart Miller Logline: To honor the 50th anniversary of Bert Campaneris’ historic feat of playing every position on the baseball field for ten different teams in ten days, HBO will cover Will Ferrell visiting five spring training ballparks. SSN Insight: The project was created to help fight cancer. Ferrell will partner with Funny Or Die and Major League Baseball. Ferrell’s visit will be covered on social media as well #FerrellTakesTheField. Game-used memorabilia from the project will be auctioned at MLB.com with proceeds being donated to Cancer for College and Stand Up To Cancer (MLB is a founding donor).
Why? With Hannibal Buress Network: Comedy Central Production Company(s): 3 Arts Entertainment Executive Producer(s): Hannibal Buress, Jeff Stilson, Dave Becky Logline: Comedian Buress provides his perspective on each week’s zeitgeist-driven topic, answering the burning questions on his mind through stand-up, filmed segments, man-on-the-street interviews and in-studio guests. SSN Insight: Comedy Central ordered 8 episodes on March 10. Per Deadline, the project originiated from a development deal between Buress and Comedy Central which included “a pilot commitment, a one-hour stand-up special, a nationwide Comedy Central Live stand-up tour; and a role on Broad City.”