TV pilots guide: Every new show in the works
What if Frankenstein solved crimes? What if the Bermuda Triangle was a mysterious land you could get lost in? What if there was an NYPD Blue sequel and if The Lost Boys was a TV show? Broadcasters are full of ideas for next season and have ordered dozens of pilots, each with a dream of becoming the next big hit. Here are all the pilots from ABC, CBS, The CW, NBC, and Fox in contention for a spot on the 2019-2020 schedule:
The CW
Batwoman
Armed with a passion for social justice and a flair for speaking her mind, Kate Kane (star Ruby Rose) soars onto the streets of Gotham as Batwoman, an out lesbian and highly trained street fighter primed to snuff out the failing city’s criminal resurgence. But don’t call her a hero yet. In a city desperate for a savior, Kate must overcome her own demons before embracing the call to be Gotham’s symbol of hope.
By: Caroline Dries, Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter, Geoff Johns, David Nutter
The Lost Boys
Welcome to sunny seaside Santa Carla, home to a beautiful boardwalk, all the cotton candy you can eat… and a secret underworld of vampires. After the sudden death of their father, two brothers move to Santa Carla with their mother, who hopes to start anew in the town where she grew up. But the brothers find themselves drawn deeper and deeper into the seductive world of Santa Carla’s eternally beautiful and youthful undead. Based on the feature film from Warner Bros. Pictures.
By: Heather Mitchell, Rob Thomas, Dan Etheridge, Mike Karz, Bill Bindley, Rebecca Franko
Katy Keene
A Riverdale spinoff, Katy Keene follows the lives and loves of four iconic Archie Comics characters — including fashion-legend-to-be Katy Keene — as they chase their twentysomething dreams in New York City. This musical dramedy chronicles the origins and struggles of four aspiring artists trying to make it on Broadway, on the runway and in the recording studio. Ashleigh Murray (Riverdale) has been cast.
By: Robert Aguirre-Sacasa, Michael Grassi, Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter, Jon Goldwater
Jane the Novela
A telenovela anthology series in the tradition of Jane the Virgin, where each season is based on a different fictional novel “written by” Jane Villanueva and narrated by the author herself. The first installment takes place at a Napa Valley Vineyard, where family secrets (and family members) don’t stay buried for long.
By: Valentina Garza, Gina Rodriguez, Jennie Snyder Urman, Ben Silverman, Joanna Klein, Emily Gipson, Jorge Granier and Gary Pearl
Untitled Nancy Drew
Set in the summer after her high school graduation,18-year-old Nancy Drew thought she’d be leaving her hometown for college, but when a family tragedy holds her back another year, she finds herself embroiled in a ghostly murder investigation — and along the way, uncovers secrets that run deeper than she ever imagined.
By: Noga Landau, Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage; Lis Rowinski
Glamorous
A gender non-conforming recent high school graduate lands the gig of a lifetime interning at a cosmetics company whose products he panned on YouTube.
By: Jordon Nardino, Damon Wayans Jr., Kameron Tarlow
ABC (dramas)
The Baker and the Beauty
The Baker and The Beauty tells the story of the unlikely romance between a blue-collar baker and an international superstar. Theirs is a relationship that not only upends their own lives, but the lives of their two very different families.
By: Dean Georgaris, David Frankel, Avi Nir, Alon Shtruzman, Rachel Kaplan and Peter Traugott, Assi Azar
The Heart of Life
By: Inspired by John Mayer’s hit song, Heart of Life follows two sets of adult siblings from wildly different worlds who discover they’re related and must reassess everything they thought they knew about their shared father. As they explore the mystery of their separate childhoods, they’ll experience the difficulty in overcoming the sins of the past, and learn the joys of reuniting with long-lost family.
By: Ben Queen, John Mayer, Melvin Mar, Jake Kasdan and Paul Weitz, Anne Fletcher
The Hypnotist’s Love Story
After a string of failed romances, successful hypnotherapist Ellen is optimistic about her current boyfriend. But then he reveals a disturbing truth: a stalker ex-girlfriend (Heathern Graham) has been following him for years. Ellen finds herself intrigued — and oddly thrilled by the stalker, entirely unaware that they’ve already met. Stars Heather Graham as Sasha, Liza Lapira as Julia.
By: Heather Graham, Katie Wech, Liane Moriarty
NYPD Blue
The return of NYPD Blue follows Andy Sipowicz’s son, Theo, as he tries to earn his detective shield and work in the 15th squad while investigating his father’s murder. Cast: Alona Tal as Detective Nicole Lazarus, Kim Delaney as Detective Diane Russell, Bill Brochtrup as John Irvin, Fabien Frankel as Theo Sipowicz, Ashley Thomas as Detective Chris Gamble, Sofia Barclay as Adela Zal, and Rick Gomez as Detective Craig Pettibone.
By: Matt Olmstead, Nick Wootton, Jesse Bochco, Dayna Bochco
New York Undercover
It’s still hip-hop but New York City has changed. Picking up 20 years after the end of the iconic series that changed the face of TV cop dramas, New York Undercover will follow detectives Nat Gilmore and Melissa Ortiz as they investigate the city’s most dangerous criminals from Harlem to Battery Park. Some cast members from the original series are expected to reprise their roles.
By: Dick Wolf, Ben Watkins, Arthur W. Forney, Peter Jankowski
Stumptown
Inspired by the graphic novels, Stumptown follows Dex Parios, a strong, assertive, and unapologetically sharp-witted army veteran working as a P.I. in Portland, Ore. With a complicated personal history and only herself to rely on, she solves other people’s messes with a blind eye toward her own.
By: Jason Richman, Ruben Fleischer and David Bernad, Greg Rucka, Matthew Southworth, Justin Greenwood
Triangle
What if the Bermuda Triangle was not a watery grave in the middle of the ocean, but a land lost in time that has trapped travelers over the course of human history? When a family is shipwrecked in this strange land, they must band together with a group of like-minded inhabitants — from throughout history — to survive and somehow find a way home.
By: Jon Feldman, Sonny Postiglione, Jen Gwartz
Untitled Hank Steinberg/Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson Project
A serialized legal and family drama about a prisoner who becomes a lawyer, litigating cases for other inmates while fighting to overturn his own life sentence for a crime he didn’t commit. His quest for freedom is driven by his desperate desire to get back to the family he loves and reclaim the life that was stolen from him. The show will also, through the window of his ferocious struggle and his complicated relationship with a progressive female prison warden, examine the flaws and challenges in our penal and legal systems.
By: Hank Steinberg, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Isaac Wright, Jr., Doug Robinson and Alison Greenspan
Until the Wedding
Based on the acclaimed Israeli format, this is the story of how one couple’s decision to get married can affect everyone in their lives. The show will explore the intimate relationships of a group of friends/family as they are forced to reckon with their own romantic lives and come to terms with the realities of love and marriage.
By: Becky Mode, Sarah Timberman and Carl Beverly, Alon Aranya, Reshet Media
Fox (dramas)
Next
A propulsive, fact-based thriller grounded in the latest A.I. research, neXt features a brilliant but paranoid former tech CEO who joins a Homeland Cybersecurity Agent and her team to stop the world’s first artificial intelligence crisis: the emergence of a rogue A.I. with the ability to continuously improve itself. Marrying pulse-pounding action with a layered examination of how technology is invading our lives and transforming us in ways we don’t yet understand, the series also presents us with a villain like we’ve never seen before, one whose greatest weapon against us is ourselves.
By: Manny Coto, John Requa, Glenn Ficarra, Charlie Gogolak
Deputy
Deputy Bill Hollister is a career lawman who’s very comfortable kicking down doors and utterly lost in a staff meeting. But when the L.A. County Sheriff drops dead, Bill becomes acting sheriff of Los Angeles County, in charge of 10,000 sworn deputies policing a modern Wild West.
By: Will Beall, David Ayer, Chris Long
Prodigal Son
Malcolm Bright has a gift. He knows how killers think, how their minds work. Why? His father was one of the worst — a notorious serial killer called “The Surgeon.” That’s why Bright is the best criminal psychologist around; murder is the family business. He will use his twisted genius to help the NYPD solve crimes and stop killers, all while dealing with a manipulative mother, annoyingly normal sister, a homicidal father still looking to bond with his prodigal son, and his own constantly evolving neuroses. Prodigal Son is a fresh take on a crime franchise with a provocative and outrageous lead character and darkly comedic tone.
By: Chris Fedak and Sam Sklaver; Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter
CBS (dramas)
Surveillance
A complex and timely spy thriller centered around the head of communications for the NSA, a charming operative who finds her loyalties torn between protecting the government’s secrets and her own. Starring Sophia Bush, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Raphael Acloque, Matthew Modine, Dennis Haysbert and Allen Leech.
By: Matt Reeves, Patricia Riggen
Evil
A series about the battle between science and religion, EVIL focuses on a skeptical female clinical psychologist who joins a priest-in-training and a blue-collar contractor as they investigate supposed miracles, demonic possessions, and other extraordinary occurrences to see if there’s a scientific explanation or if something truly supernatural is at work.
By: Robert King & Michelle King, Liz Glotzer
FBI: Most Wanted (FBI spin-off, series order)
Series centered around the division of the FBI tasked with tracking and capturing the notorious criminals on the FBI’s Most Wanted list. Stars Julian McMahon, Alana De La Garza, Keisha Castle-Hughes.
By: Dick Wolf, Rene Balcer, Arthur W. Forney, Peter Jankowski
Carol’s Second Act
After raising her two children and retiring from teaching, Carol Chambers embarks on a unique second act: she’s going to become a doctor. Patricia Heaton is attached to star as well as executive produce.
By: Emily Halpern and Sarah Haskins; Patricia Heaton, Adam Griffin, David Hunt and Rebecca Stay
Under the Bridge
When a scandal rocks the medical practice she runs with her husband and their friends, a surgeon rises to the occasion and takes the lead in trying to mend both the practice and her own marriage.
By: Rina Mimoun, Jerry Bruckheimer, Jonathan Littman, KristieAnne Reed
Tommy
When a former high-ranking NYPD officer becomes the first female chief of police for Los Angeles, she uses her unflinching honesty and hardball tactics to navigate the social, political, and national security issues that converge with enforcing the law.
By: Paul Attanasio, Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey
The Republic of Sarah
A small New Hampshire town is thrust onto the world stage when the discovery of a valuable resource within its borders compels the residents to declare themselves an independent nation, setting the unlikely young mayor and her cabinet of inexperienced locals on the path of running a brand new country.
By: Jeff King, Leo Pearlman and Jeff Grosvenor, Marc Webb
Courthouse
A show that pulls back the curtain on the court system and follows the dedicated, chaotic, hopeful, and sometimes absurd lives of the judges, assistant district attorneys, and public defenders as they work with bailiffs, clerks, cops, and jurors to bring justice to the people of Los Angeles.
By: Greg Spottiswood, Leonard Goldstein, Mike Robin
Frankenstein
A San Francisco homicide detective is mysteriously brought back to life after being killed in the line of duty, but as he resumes his old life and he and his wife realize he isn’t the same person he used to be, they zero in on the strange man behind his resurrection — Dr. Victor Frankenstein.
By: Jason Tracey, Rob Doherty
NBC (dramas)
Bluff City Law
A character-driven legal drama that follows the lawyers of an elite Memphis law firm that specializes in the most controversial landmark civil rights cases. Led by legendary lawyer Elijah Strait and his brilliant daughter, Sydney Keller, they take on the toughest David-and-Goliath cases while navigating their complicated relationship.
By: Dean Georgaris, David Janollari, Michael Aguliar
Prism
A provocative exploration of a murder trial in which every episode is told through the perspective of a different key person involved. Each new version of the facts ratchets up the mystery and the suspense, calling into question everything we have seen so far and asking is the right person on trial? Driven by an ensemble of complicated characters, the show lets the audience ask if truth matters less than who can tell the most compelling story.
By: Daniel Barnz, Carol Mendelsohn, Julie Weitz, Ben Barnz
Emergence
A character-driven genre thriller that centers around a sheriff (Allison Tollman) who takes in a young child that she finds near the site of a mysterious accident who has no memory of what has happened. The investigation draws her into a conspiracy larger than she ever imagined, and the child’s identity is at the center of it all.
By: Michele Fazekas & Tara Butters, Paul McGuigan, Robert Atwood
Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist
An innovative musical dramedy about a whip-smart but socially awkward girl in her late 20s who is suddenly able to hear the innermost thoughts of people around her as songs and even big musical numbers that they perform just for her. With this new ability at her disposal, she is able to use her “gift” to not only help herself understand people in her life, but also to help others around her.
By: Austin Winsberg, Paul Feig, Jessie Henderson
Council of Dads
Inspired by the bestselling memoir by Bruce Feiler, Council of Dads is the story of Scott Perry and his family whose lives are thrown into upheaval when he gets a potentially terminal diagnosis. Facing his mortality, he and his wife, Robin, assemble a unique group of carefully chosen friends to support his family and guide them through the ups and downs of life’s many challenges.
By: Tony Phelan & Joan Rater, Jerry Bruckheimer, Jonathan Littman, KristieAnne Reed, James Oh, Bruce Feller
Lincoln
Based on the internationally bestselling book series, Lincoln follows legendary forensic criminologist Lincoln Rhyme, who was seriously injured during his hunt for the diabolic serial killer known as the Bone Collector. Called back into action when the killer re-emerges, Lincoln forms a unique partnership with Amelia Sachs, a young beat cop who helps him hunt the deadly mastermind while also taking on the most high-profile cases in the NYPD.
By: VJ Boyd, Mark Bianculli, Avi Nir, Alon Shtruzman, Peter Traugott, Rachel Kaplan
Fox (comedies)
Adam & Eve
Based on the French-Canadian format, Adam & Eve follows one couple at three stages of their relationship — young and passionate, middle-aged with kids, and navigating retirement. It’s a comedy about the big questions: What makes a marriage last? Do people ever really change? And, after 40 years together, why can’t we pick a place for dinner without it turning into a whole, you know, “thing?”
By: Jon Beckerman, Claude Meunier, Luc Wiseman
Lil Kev (pilot presentation)
Follows a highly imaginative 12-year-old boy as he navigates the streets of North Philadelphia with the help of “his strong, quick-tempered mother, drug-addicted father, pessimistic older brother, ex-con uncle and wise-ass talking dog.” Voice actors: Kevin Hart, Wanda Sykes, Deon Cole, Gerald “Slink” Johnson, Keith Robinson
By: Kevin Hart, Michael Price, Matt Claybrooks
Richard Lovely
Richard Lovely is the disgruntled author of the best-selling children’s book series Mr. Mouse. He doesn’t hate children, but rather just everything about them. After a publicity fiasco involving an unexpectedly savvy 9-year-old kid, Mr. Mouse appears in Richard’s real life as he is forced into an unlikely father/son relationship that will change his life forever.
By: Billy Finnegan, Kat Coiro
Geniuses
A family comedy about a blue-collar couple in South Jersey trying to get by and raise four kids, three of whom just happen to be certified geniuses.
By Lon Zimmet
Patty’s Auto
Inspired by Patrice Banks’ Girls Auto Clinic (an auto repair shop with all female mechanics), Patty’s Auto is a multi-camera ensemble comedy centering on Patty and the eclectic women who work for her.
By: Darlene Hunt, Elizabeth Banks, Max Handelman, Patrice Banks
CBS (comedies)
The Emperor of Malibu
When the son of a Chinese billionaire (Ken Jeong) announces his engagement to an American woman, his outrageous family descends upon the couple to win their son back and test drive the American dream.
By: Michelle Nader, Christina Lee, Kevin Kwan, David Sangalli, Danielle Stokdyk
Bob [Hearts] Abishola
After having a heart attack, a man falls in love with his Nigerian nurse and sets his sights on getting her to give him a chance. Billy Gardell is attached to star along with Folake Olowofoyeku, Christine Ebersole, Maribeth Monroe, Shola Adewusi, Matt Jones,
By: Chuck Lorre, Eddie Gorodetsky, Al Higgins, Gina Yashere
The Unicorn
A widower is eager to move on from the most difficult year of his life, only to realize he’s utterly unprepared to raise his two daughters on his own, and equally unprepared for the dating world where, to his shock, he’s suddenly a hot commodity.
By: Bill Martin, Mike Schiff, Aaron Kaplan, Dana Honor
Our House
A devoted mom and dad are committed to raising their children with the love and support the mom never got as a kid, but discover how difficult that is with her insane parents and siblings back in the picture.
By: Brendan O’Brien, Nick Stoller, Conor Welch
The Story of Us
A story told through interviews and vignettes spanning 10 years, about how an unlikely couple becomes an unlikely family.
By: Mike Royce, Nick Stoller, Conor Welch
To Whom It May Concern
Evan sets out with his group of 20-something friends to accomplish a list of challenges he wrote for himself in an effor to turn around his banal life.
By: Mike Metz, Gail Berman
NBC (comedies)
Saving Kenan
Kenan Thompson stars as a newly widowed dad determined to be everything for his kids while begrudgingly letting his persistent father-in-law become more involved in their lives. (Single-cam)
By: Jackie Clarke, Kenan Thompson, Lorne Michaels, Andrew Singer
Like Magic
A workplace comedy that follows an optimistic young woman pursuing her dream to be a headlining magician in the eccentric and ego-driven world of the Magic Palace.
By: Bridget Kyle & Vicky Luu, Julie Anne Robinson, Kelly Pancho, Matt Hubbard
Village Gazette (pilot presentation)
Amber Ruffin plays the fluff piece-loving editor of the BensonVillage Gazette, covering her idyllic hometown. But “when the newspaper owners hire a reporter who’s looking to uncover a juicy story in Benson, he threatens to unravel the happy denial Amber has been living in.”
By: Amber Ruffin, Shelly Gossman, Seth Meyers, Mike Shoemaker, Lorne Michaels, Andrew Singer
Uninsured
Young parents Dave and Rebecca end up having to take care of Dave’s parents who have mishandled their finances and need help to pay down a sizable debt.
By: Dan Levy, Doug Robinson, Alison Greenspan
Friends-In-Law
Brian and Jake are polar opposites who must quickly figure out how to coexist when their respective best friends decide to get married.
By: Brian Gallivan, Tom Werner
Comedy starring Bradley Whitford FKA “All Together Now”
A rural church choir gets the director it never thought it needed when a salty, Ivy League music professor stumbles through their door.
By: Lesley Wake Webster, Bradley Whitford, Jason Winer, Adam Anders, Jon Radler
Untitled Kal Penn and Matt Murray
Former New York City Councilman Garrett Shah (Kal Penn) finds his calling when faced with six recent immigrants in need of his help and in search of the American Dream.
By: Kal Penn, Matt Murray, Michael Schur, David Miner, Dan Spilo
ABC (comedies)
Happy Accident
Two Pittsburgh families (a father with three adult daughters, and a hotel lounge singer with her med student son) are forced together after a decades-old secret is revealed.
By: Abraham Higginbotham, Jon Pollack
Untitled Hannah Simone
Hannah (Simone) and her Indian-American immigrant father have always been close, but after she admits to herself that she’s in a dead-end job and he reveals his marriage is over, they’re starting over together and each finding a new path. This new chapter will either make them crazy close… or just crazy.
By: Hannah Simone, Matt Fusfeld & Alex Cuthbertson
Woman Up
Two former teen moms have worked their asses off to see their daughters all the way through high school graduation. And now, at 35, they’re ready to make up for the youth they never had.
By: Zoe Lister-Jones, Liz Meriwether, Jason Winer, Jon Radler
United We Fall
A profoundly realistic, multicultural family sitcom that shows how, when two people with young children and overzealous extended families truly love each other, barely anything is possible.
By: Julius ‘Goldy’ Sharpe, Julia Gunn, Seth Gordon
Untitled Leslie Odom Jr. Project
Inspired by real life progressive pastors Touré and Sarah Roberts, the show revolves around Omari (Leslie Odom Jr.) and Hope, who together run a modern ministry and share an even more eclectic and chaotic home life with a combined four children.
By: Leslie Odom Jr., Saladin Patterson, Touré Roberts & Sarah Jakes-Roberts, Kerry Washington and Pilar Savone
Nana
After the death of his wife, an obsessive, overprotective dad is forced to invite his brash and bawdy mother-in-law — Nana (Katey Sagal) — into his home to help raise the two granddaughters she barely knows.
By: Lon Zimmet, Ted Melfi, Kimberly Quinn, Andrew Kosove, Broderick Johnson, Laura Lancaster, Katey Sagal, Andy Ackerman
