2011-2012 Pilots

[Toups]

FOX: Touch

Heroes creator Tim Kring is back with his first pilot since the superhero NBC drama, and this time, it is at Fox. Fox has given a pilot order to Touch, another project with supernatural overtones from Kring, which is being produced by 20th TV and studio-based Chernin Entertainment. Touch centers on a father who discovers that his autistic, mute son can actually predict events before they happen. Kring wrote the project on spec, his first pilot script since Heroes. It was developed internally at Chernin Entertainment with the company's head of TV Katherine Pope who had remained close with Kring after shepherding Heroes while at NBC and UMS. Because of 20th TV relationship with Fox, the spec was taken out to Fox first, and the network quickly gave it a pilot green light. Kring, Peter Chernin and Pope are executive producing Touch, one of two pilots picked up at Fox today.

[Toups]

FOX: Bones spinoff

Fox's veteran procedural Bones is developing a potential spinoff series built around a character that would be introduced as a recurring on the series this season. Casting for the role is expected to begin shortly. If the Bones producers, Fox and studio 20th Century Fox TV find an actor that they feel can carry a new series, the new character, Walter Sherman, will debut in the episode of Bones episode that starts shooting on December 6 to air in 2011. Hart Hanson, creator/executive of Bones, would also create the potential spinoff, which would be based on The Locator series of two books written by Richard Greener that center on Walter Sherman aka "the Locator". Walter is described as an eccentric, obstreperous and amusing reclusive man in his late 20s-30s with highly sought after abilities to find anything. He is skeptical of every statement and often asks offensive, seemingly irrelevant questions which oddly enough turn out to be extremely relevant. A former military policeman, Walter knows Agent Booth (David Boreanaz) from their time serving in Iraq together, and the two dislike each other very much. Meanwhile, Dr. Brennan (Emily Deschanel) finds him very intriguing. Walter was injured overseas and suffered brain damage which lead to his honorable discharge, as well as his ever present state of paranoia.

[Toups]

CW: Danni Lowinski

The CW have found their Danni Lowinski. Sons & Daughters alumna Amanda Walsh has landed the lead in the hourlong CW dramedy pilot based on the German series of the same name. The pilot, once eyed for possible midseason consideration, is now targeted for next fall. The CW has no scripted series on tap for midseason and recently opted not order back episodes from sophomore Life Unexpected. Danni Lowinski is named after the series' central character: a scrappy hairdresser (Walsh) who has worked her way through law school and finally graduates only to be brushed off by law firms that aren't interested in her type. Determined to make her way in the professional world, she sets up her own practice in a shopping mall kiosk. The German series, which airs on Sat.1, stars popular German comedy actress Annette Frier in the title role. Richard Shepard will be directing the CW pilot from a script by Jennie Snyder Urman (90210). CBS TV Studios is producing.

[Toups]

ABC: Poe

In its second drama pilot order today and fourth overall, the network has picked up Poe, a crime procedural following Edgar Allan Poe, the world's very first detective, as he uses unconventional methods to investigate dark mysteries in 1840s Boston. Chris Hollier (Kyle XY) penned the project for Warner Bros. TV and Lin Pictures. He will be supervising producer, with Chris Lin executive producing.

[Toups]

ABC: Pan Am

The network just gave the green light to period drama pilot Pan Am, from Sony Pictures TV and ER alum Jack Orman. Orman penned the script and Thomas Schlamme is on board to direct the pilot, described as a sexy soap set against the Jet-Age about pilots and flight attendants working at the iconic Pan Am airline in the 1960s. Executive producing are Orman, Schlamme and Sid Ganis, whose wife Nancy Ganis, a former Pan Am flight attendant, had the idea for the project.

[Toups]

ABC: Work It

ABC is very high on Andrew Reich and Ted Cohen this season, greenlighting a second comedy pilot from the Friends alums. In what I hear is the first of several orders expected at ABC today, the network has picked up Reich and Cohen's multicamera project Work It, from Warner Bros. TV. The comedy, which has a Bosom Buddies vibe to it, centers on two out-of-work car salesmen who realize that it is now a woman's world and decide that in order to find work again and succeed they are going to have to dress as women to get jobs as pharmaceuticals reps. Doing this inadvertently makes them better men, husbands and fathers but also makes them appreciate the sanctuary of their nights at the local bar where they can really be themselves. Work It joins Reich and Cohen's comedy Smothered, also from WBTV, which was picked up to pilot by ABC earlier this month.

[Toups]

ABC: Lost and Found

ABC also just picked up a second comedy pilot for today, Lost and Found. Like Andrew Reich and Ted Cohen's Work It, it is multicamera and comes from the same studio, Warner Bros. TV. Written by Marisa Coughlan, who will serve as supervising producer, Lost and Found centers on a narcissistic New York City bartender and party girl has her life turned upside down when the conservative 18 year old son she gave up for adoption shows up on her doorstep.

[Toups]

FOX: The New Girl

Fox has picked up another single-camera comedy pilot, this one from writer-producer Liz Meriwether, 20th Century Fox TV and studio-based Chernin Entertainment. The untitled project, originally titled Chicks and Dicks, is described as a young ensemble comedy about the sexual politics of men and women. Meriwether is executive producing with Peter Chernin and Katherine Pope.

[Toups]

CBS: The Doctor

The Doctor, which originally landed at CBS in August with a put pilot commitment, centers on a mother who reconnects with her adult children when she joins the family medical practice. Mimoun, who is under an overall deal at WBTV, is the writer-executive producer. I hear this is one of 3 projects top pilot director David Nutter, aka "the pilot whisperer," is considering for his pilot directing gig this year. CBS has been aggressive in pursuing medical shows this development season as launching a successful medical franchise is a priority for the network. The Doctor is the second medical drama project picked up to pilot so far, following the order to Susannah Grant's supernatural medical show.

[Toups]

CBS: Hail Mary

Hail Mary, which is co-produced by Silver Pictures, is a buddy P.I. show centered around a suburban single mom in Atlanta who teams up with a street-wise hustler to solve crimes. This marks the second consecutive drama pilot at CBS for Wadlow who last year created The Odds, also with Silver Pictures and WBTV producing. Wadlow wrote Hail Mary and is executive producing it with Joel Silver. Beau Bauman serves as a producer.

[Toups]

NBC: S.I.L.A.

Oscar-winning feature writer Stephen Gaghan is making his foray into television with a pilot at NBC. In his latest pilot order to a big-name writer, new NBC programming chief Bob Greenblatt has given the green light to Gaghan's drama S.I.L.A., which will be produced by 20th Century Fox TV and Chernin Entertainment. Gaghan, who won an Oscar for writing Traffic and also wrote and directed Syriana, originally wrote S.I.L.A. 18 months ago, with the script recently finding its way to Greenblatt. The project is described as a Traffic/Syriana-like look at Los Angeles through multiple perspectives in law enforcement, legal communities, city hall, the land of privilege and criminal enterprise.

[Toups]

FOX: The Council of Dads

The Council of Dads, from Sony Pictures TV and Tolan's Sony-based Fedora Entertainment, is based on the non-fiction book by Bruce Feiler. It centers on a man who finds out that he's dying and enlists five men from every corner of his life to assist his wife in raising his two children. In the book, Feiler chronicles his experiences after being diagnosed with a life-threatening cancer in 2008 and, fearing what the absence of a father figure would do to the lives of his young twin daughters, formed a Council of Dads which consisted of six of his closest male friends who agreed to help him raise the girls. While in real life Feiler made full recovery and the plan was never implemented, in Tolan's version, the dad is expected to die, with the show chronicling how the kids are raised with the help of the Council. Tolan and producing partner Michael Wimer are executive producing, with Feiler serving as a consultant. After a bidding war, the project originally landed at Fox in September with a $1.5 million pilot production commitment. Shows based on books were red-hot during pitch season, but Council of Dads is the first such project to make it to pilot so far.

[Toups]

FOX: Family Album

Family Album, from 20th Century Fox TV, has a 24-style twist to it and centers on a headstrong patriarch who, determined to get some quality family time, embarks on a vacation with his extended family. In the vein of 24 and short-lived ABC comedy Big Day, where each season chronicled the events that took place during the course of one day, each season of Family Album will take place during one summer vacation.

[Toups]

NBC: Are You There Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea

NBC has handed out a pilot order to Are You There Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea, a multi-camera comedy inspired by latenight star Chelsea Handler's autobiographical book of the same name about her life in her 20s. The project, written and executive produced by Dharma & Greg co-creator Dottie Zicklin and Julie Larson, centers on a 20-something woman who has a very honest and provocative point of view on dating, friends and family. Vodka, from Warner Bros. TV and Werner Entertainment, was developed at NBC after landing at the network in a competitive situation with a put pilot commitment in November. Handler, who won't be starring in the comedy, is executive producing with her producing partner at Borderline Amazing Prods. Tom Brunelle, Werner Entertainment's Werner and Mike Clements. The casting on the project promises to be interesting, looking for a 20-something Handler. In addition to Vodka, Zicklin has another comedy project in contention at Fox.

[Toups]

NBC: My Life As An Experiment

The single-camera My Life As An Experiment, from Sony TV, Reveille and Jack Black's Electric Dynamite, is based on the book by A.J. Jacobs and centers on a magazine writer who immerses himself (and his family) in unusual situations for his stories which always reflect back on his marriage. Cathy Yuspa & Josh Goldsmith wrote the script and are exec producing with Jack Black, Carolyn Bernstein, Howard Owens, Ben Cooley and Priyanka Mattoo.