Josh Berman Sells Sanjay Gupta Medical Drama To ABC, Inks New Sony TV Deal
CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Sanjay Gupta has teamed with long-time Larry King Live executive producer Wendy Walker for a medical drama that would draw on both their experiences at the news cable network. The project, which has landed at ABC with a script commitment plus penalty, reunites several auspices behind the network’s freshman drama series Notorious: executive producers Walker, whose relationship with criminal defense attorney Mark Geragos inspired the series, co-creator/executive producer Josh Berman, writer Sharon Lee Watson, The Firm and Sony Pictures TV.
The project is the first under a new three-year deal Berman and his production company Osprey Productions have closed at Sony Pictures TV, the writer-producer’s fourth consecutive overall deal with the studio. It starts in June 2017, when Berman’s current Sony pact expires. Berman will continue to render executive producer services on ABC’s Notorious and VH1’s upcoming series Daytime Divas, as well as develop new projects for network, cable, and streaming services, starting with the ABC drama.
Written by Watson, the untitled project centers on a team of physicians, working for a cable news operation, who travel the United States gaining access to our countries hot spots—medical mysteries, outbreaks, epidemics, natural and man-made disasters.
Watson, Gupta, Walker and Berman executive produce with the Firm’s Jeff Kwatinetz and Josh Barry.
Berman recently tapped Chris King as Head of Production and Development for Osprey Productions. King comes from John Logan’s Desert Wolf Productions where he served as VP of Production and Development and was a co-executive producer on the company’s Showtime series Penny Dreadful.
Berman began his career as a writer on the first season of CBS’ CSI. He was on staff for six years, rising to executive producer. Berman went on to serve as a consulting producer on Fox’s Bones for four seasons, before creating Drop Dead Diva for Sony TV, which ran on Lifetime for six seasons. He was also a consulting producer on Sony TV’s NBC drama series The Blacklist. Osprey Productions is repped by CAA and attorneys Ken Richman and Jason Hendler.
Watson, who recently served as a co-executive producer on CBS’ Criminal Minds, is repped by WME and the Shuman Co.
In addition to Notorious, The Firm’s portfolio include series Salem at WGN America and Haters Back Off at Netflix as well as Lifetime pilot A Midsummer’s Nightmare. It also is developing a War of the Worlds series at MTV.
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