Fox Update: Which Pilots Are Still Alive
Fox today made the bulk of its new series pickups, ordering four dramas — Prodigal Son, starring Tom Payne and Michael Sheen; neXt, starring John Slattery police drama Deputy, headlined by Stephen Dorff; the Annie Weisman/Jason Katims sister drama; based on an Australian format — and comedy Outmatched (fka Geniuses).
That leaves two more drama pilots and three comedy ones. While I hear Fox is yet to give official passes, most of the remaining pilots are not going forward at the network.
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In best shape is soapy family drama Filthy Rich, headlined by Kim Cattrall, which is considered a lock as a possible companion to Empire, with details currently being worked out. I hear they have to do with writer/director/exec producer’s Tate Taylor availability as his film schedule may not allow for the series to be ready for fall. Along with the four drama pilots that did get a series order today, Filthy Rich had been a serious contender throughout the pilot process.
As for the sixth drama pilot, Tom Kapinos’ Lovestruck, it never got much traction at Fox, and I hear it is not going forward at the network. But the show, whose first season takes place over the course of single night at a wedding, reportedly tested well at the studio, 20th Century Fox TV, whose brass are said to be pretty high on it and are expected to shop it elsewhere, similarly to 20th TV’s 2018 Fox pilot Mixtape, which was eventually picked up to series by Netflix.
The multi-camera Outmatched had been a frontrunner among Fox’s four live-action comedy pilots as a possible companion to Last Man Standing. Adam & Eve was never in serious contention and is considered dead. The multi-camera Patty’s Auto and single-camera Richard Lovely both had some buzz. I hear Richard Lovely is likely dead though there is a small chance of it being redeveloped. On Patty’s Auto, I hear the pilot is not going forward at the moment, with some claiming that it may be dead and others suggesting that Fox may revisit it after the upfronts.
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