TV Pilot Season 2020: TheWrap’s Complete Guide
It’s pilot season — when broadcast networks decide which of dozens of prospective shows should become full-fledged series.
TheWrap’s complete network pilot guide will keep you up to speed on the status of every project under consideration by ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC. In cases where they’ve already ordered a show to series, we’ll say so.
Check back often for regular updates.
The CW: Drama
ABC COMEDY
MY VILLAGE
Writer(s): Kari Lizer
Studio: Sony Pictures Television, ABC Studios
Logline: An empty-nester mom wonders how she ended up alone while her children live their best lives thousands of miles away. She decides her place is with her family and as she reinserts herself into their lives, her kids realize they might actually need her more than they thought.(Multi-camera)
PROSPECT
Writer(s): Sherry Bilsing-Graham, Ellen Kreamer
Director: Randall Einhorn
Studio: ABC Studios
Logline: A comedic western with a feminist twist: an idealistic young woman moves to the frontier to be a schoolteacher, but her ideals are quickly tested when she learns that her students are rowdy ranch hands, not children. (Single camera)
ABC DRAMA
THE BRIDES
Writer(s): Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa
Producer(s): Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter
Director: Maggie Kiley
Studio: ABC Studios, Warner Bros. Television, Berlanti Productions
Logline: A sexy contemporary reimagining of “Dracula,” is a family drama with a trio of powerful female leads at its heart. With strong horror elements, “The Brides” is a vampire soap about empowered, immortal women and the things they do to maintain wealth, prestige, legacy — and their nontraditional family.
HARLEM’S KITCHEN
Writer(s): Zahir McGhee
Producer(s): Marcus Samuelsson, David Hoberman, Todd Lieberman, Laurie Zaks
Studio: ABC Studios
Logline: An ensemble family drama set in a fine dining restaurant in Harlem. Ellis Rice, Executive Chef and patriarch, runs a successful restaurant with his wife and three daughters. But an unexpected death thrusts the family into turmoil and puts the restaurant’s future in jeopardy as long-buried secrets are revealed.
REBEL
Writer(s): Krista Vernoff
Producer(s): Davis Entertainment, Alexandre Schmitt, Erin Brockovich
Studio: ABC Studios/Sony Pictures Television
Logline: “Rebel” is inspired by the life of Erin Brockovich today. Annie “Rebel” Bello is a blue collar legal advocate without a law degree. A funny, messy, brilliant and fearless woman who cares desperately about the causes she fights for and the people she loves. When Rebel applies herself to a fight she believes in, she will win at almost any cost.
Cast: Katey Sagal
THIRTYSOMETHING(ELSE)
Writer(s): Marshall Herskovitz, Edward Zwick
Director: Edward Zwick
Studio: ABC Studios, MGM Television
Logline: A sequel to the groundbreaking series “thirtysomething,” which follows an ensemble of new faces playing the grown-up, 30-something children of the original cast. Apparently, raising children (even grown children) never ends, but who could have known how hard it would be for them to raise their parents?
Cast: Ken Olin, Mel Harris, Timothy Busfield, Patty Wettig
CBS COMEDY
B POSITIVE
Writer(s): Marco Pennette
Producer(s): Chuck Lorre
Studio: Warner Bros. Television, Chuck Lorre Productions
Logline: Faced with finding a kidney donor, newly divorced dad Drew is at the end of his rope when he runs into Gina, a rough-around-the edges woman from his past who volunteers her own. Together they form an unlikely bond and begin a journey that will change both of their lives. (Multi-camera)
THE UNITED STATES OF AL
Writer(s): David Goetsch, Maria Ferrari
Producer(s): Chuck Lorre, Reza Aslan, Mahyad Tousi
Studio: Warner Bros. Television, Chuck Lorre Productions
Logline: A comedy about the friendship between Riley, a Marine combat veteran struggling to readjust to civilian life in Ohio, and Awalmir (Al), the Afghan interpreter who served with his unit and has just arrived to start a new life in America. (Multi-camera)
WE THE JURY
Writer(s): Dana Klein and Stephanie Darrow
Producer(s): James Acaster, Kenton Allen, Matthew Justice
Studio: CBS Television Studios
Logline: A group of jurors are sequestered together until they all agree on a verdict…and they can’t even agree on lunch. (Hybrid)
CBS DRAMA
CLARICE — Series Commitment
Writer(s): Alex Kurtzman, Jenny Lumet
Producer(s): Heather Kadin, Aaron Baiers
Studio: MGM Television, CBS Television Studios, Secret Hideout
Logline: It’s 1993, a year after the events of “The Silence of the Lambs.” CLARICE is a deep dive into the untold personal story of Clarice Starling as she returns to the field to pursue serial murderers and sexual predators while navigating the high stakes political world of Washington, D.C.
THE EQUALIZER
Writer(s): Andrew Marlowe, Terri Miller
Producer(s): Dana Owens (Queen Latifah), John Davis, John Fox , Debra Martin Chase, Richard Lindheim, Shakim Compere
Studio: Universal Television Studios, CBS Television Studios, Davis Entertainment, Martin Chase Productions, Flavor Unit
Logline: A reimagining of the classic series in which an enigmatic figure uses her extensive skills to help those with nowhere else to turn.
Cast: Queen Latifah
CW Drama
SUPERMAN & LOIS — Series Order
Writer(s): Todd Helbing
Producer(s): Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter, Geoff Johns
Studio: Berlanti Productions, Warner Bros. Television
Logline: Follows the world’s most famous Super Hero and comic books’ most famous journalist as they deal with all the stress, pressures and complexities that come with being working parents in today’s society. Based on the characters from DC created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.
Cast: Tyler Hoechlin, Elizabeth Tulloc
WALKER — Series Order
Writer(s): Anna Fricke
Producer(s): Dan Lin, Lindsay Liberatore, Jared Padalecki
Studio: CBS Television Studios, Rideback.
Logline: A reimagining of the long-running series “Walker, Texas Ranger.” Centers on Cordell Walker, a widower and father of two with his own moral code, who returns home to Austin after being undercover for two years, only to discover there’s harder work to be done at home. He’ll attempt to reconnect with his children, navigate clashes with his family, and find unexpected common ground with his new partner (one of the first women in Texas Rangers’ history), while growing increasingly suspicious about the circumstances surrounding his wife’s death.
Cast: Jared Padalecki
UNTITLED THE 100 PREQUEL — Backdoor Pilot Production Order
Writer(s): Jason Rothenberg
Producer(s): Leslie Morgenstein, Gina Girolamo
Studio: Alloy Entertainment, Warner Bros. Television, CBS Television Studios
Logline: Set 97 years before the events of the original series, this project — which is currently being developed as a planted spinoff and will air as an episode of THE 100’s final season — starts with the end of the world, a nuclear apocalypse that wipes out most of the human population on Earth. The epic adventure follows a band of survivors on the ground as they learn to cope in a dangerous world while fighting to create a new and better society from the ashes of what came before.
UNTITLED ARROW SPINOFF — Backdoor Pilot Production Order
Writer(s): Beth Schwartz, Mark Guggenheim, Jill Blankenship, Oscar Balderrama
Producer(s): Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter
Studio: Warner Bros. TV, DC Entertainment
Logline: Spinoff following the women of Arrow.
Cast: Katherine McNamara, Katie Cassidy, Juliana Harkavy
FOX COMEDY
CARLA — Series Commitment
Writer(s): Darlene Hunt
Producer(s): Jim Parsons, Todd Spiewak, Angie Stephenson, Miranda Hart, Eric Norsoph, Mackenzie Gabriel-Vaught, Mayim Bialik
Studio: Warner Bros. Television, FOX Entertainment, That’s Wonderful Productions, Sad Clown Productions, BBC Studios
Logline: Carla is a 39-year-old woman who struggles every day against society and her mother to prove that you CANNOT have everything you want — and still be happy. Which is why she spent the money her parents set aside for her wedding to open a Cat Café in Louisville, KY. Based on the BBC UK original seriesMiranda, created by Miranda Hart. (Multi-camera)
Cast: Mayim Bialik
HOUSEBROKEN — Series Order
Writer(s): Clea DuVall, Jennifer Crittenden, Gabrielle Allan
Producer(s): Sharon Horgan, Clelia Mountford, Aaron Kaplan, Dana Honor
Studio: Fox Entertainment, Kapital Entertainment, Bento Box
Logline: Explores human dysfunction and neurosis through a group of neighborhood animals who live in the suburbs. (Animated)
Cast: Lisa Kudrow, Clea DuVall, Sharon Horgan, Nat Faxon, Will Forte, Tony Hale, Jason Mantzoukas, Sam Richardson, Bresha Webb, Greta Lee
FOX DRAMA
THE CLEANING LADY
Writer(s): Miranda Kwok
Producer(s): Shay Mitchell, Melissa Carter
Studio: Warner Bros Television, FOX Entertainment
Logline: A darkly aspirational character drama about a whip-smart doctor who comes to the U.S. for a medical treatment to save her ailing son. But when the system fails and pushes her into hiding, she refuses to be beaten down and marginalized. Instead, she becomes a cleaning lady for the mob and starts playing the game by her own rules. Based on the original Argentine series
NBC COMEDY
AMERICAN AUTO
Writer(s): Justin Spitzer
Producer(s): Aaron Kaplan
Studio: Universal Television, Kapital Entertainment
Logline: Set at the headquarters of a major American automotive company in Detroit, where a floundering group of executives try to rediscover the company identity amidst a rapidly changing industry. (Single camera)
CRAZY FOR YOU
Writer(s): Rachele Lynn
Producer(s): Lorne Michaels, Seth Meyers, Mike Shoemaker
Studio(s): Universal Television, Broadway Video, Sethmaker Shoemeyers Productions
Logline: Daisy, with her life stalling, re-enters the dating scene only to discover that while she was out of the game, the game sort of, totally, completely changed. Realizing she is a bit rusty at being “normal” and “appealing” on first dates, she’ll need the support of her friends as she strives to succeed while being her true self in today’s quick-to-dismiss dating culture. (Single camera)
THE KENAN SHOW — Series Order
Writer(s): Jackie Clarke
Producer(s): Lorne Michaels, Andrew Singer
Director: Chris Rock
Studio: Universal Television, Broadway Video
Logline: Kenan Thompson strives to be a super dad to his two adorable girls while simultaneously balancing his job and a father-in-law who “helps” in the most inappropriate ways. (Single camera)
Cast: Kenan Thompson, Punam Patel, Dani Lockett, Dannah Lockett, Andy Garcia
JEFFERIES
Writer(s): Suzanne Martin
Producer(s): Jim Jefferies, Sean Hayes, Todd Milliner, Tim Sarkes, Alex Murray
Studio: Universal Television, Hazy Mills, Brillstein Entertainment Partners
Logline: Jim Jefferies stars as a fictionalized version of himself – a comedian with a unique and often controversial take on modern life, relationships and co-parenting with his best friend. (Multi-camera)
Cast: Jim Jefferies
NIGHT SCHOOL
Writer(s): Chris Moynihan
Producer(s): Kevin Hart, Will Packer, Malcolm Lee
Studio: Universal Television, Hartbeat Productions, Will Packer Productions, Bicycle Path Productions
Logline: An adaptation of the 2018 film, “Night School” centers on a unique mix of adults at a night school GED prep class who unexpectedly bond over their shared experience and find themselves helping each other both inside and outside of the classroom. (Multi-camera)
SOMEONE OUT THERE
Writer(s): Matt Hubbard, Josh Siegal, Dylan Morgan
Producer(s): Emiliano Calemzuk, Gonzalo Sagardia, Javier Veiga
Studio: Universal Television
Logline: A romantic comedy about two set-in-their-ways adults who are challenged by very unexpected strangers to become the best versions of themselves in order to find love and possibly each other. Based on the format “Pequeñas Coincidencias,” created by Javier Veiga. (Multi-camera)
YOUNG ROCK — Series Order
Writer(s): Nahnatchka Khan, Jeff Chiang
Producer(s): Dwayne Johnson, Dany Garcia, Hiram Garcia, Brian Gewirtz, Jennifer Carreras
Studio: Universal Television, Seven Bucks Productions, Fierce Baby Productions
Logline: Inspired by the formative years of Dwayne Johnson. (Single camera)
Cast: Dwayne Johnson
UNTITLED PHIL JACKSON/DAN GOOR
Writer(s): Phil Jackson
Producer(s): Dan Goor
Studio: Universal Television
Logline: Ensemble comedy about black people, dating and wine. (Single camera)
UNTITLED TINA FEY/ROBERT CARLOCK — Series Order
Writer(s): Tina Fey, Robert Carlock
Producer(s): Jeff Richmond, David Miner, Eric Gurian
Studio: Universal Television, 3 Arts Entertainment, Little Stranger
Logline: A wealthy businessman runs for mayor of Los Angeles for all the wrong reasons. Once he wins he has to figure out what he stands for, gain the respect of his staff and connect with his teenage daughter, all while humanely controlling the coyote population. (Single camera)
Cast: Ted Danson, Holly Hunter, Bobby Moynihan
NBC DRAMA
AT THAT AGE
Writer(s): Carla Banks-Waddles
Producer(s): Malcolm D. Lee, Debra Martin Chase
Studio: Universal Television, Blackmaled Productions
Logline: An exploration of an African-American family’s legacy. After the Cooper family’s golden child suffers a catastrophic event, seven family members face a foundational shift, make life-altering decisions and deal with deep secrets coming to light.
DEBRIS
Writer(s): J.H. Wyman
Producer(s): Jason Hoffs
Studio: Legendary Television, Frequency Films
Logline: Two agents from two different continents, and two different mindsets, must work together to investigate when wreckage from a destroyed alien spacecraft has mysterious effects on humankind.
ECHO
Writer(s): JJ Bailey
Producer(s): John Davis, John Fox
Studio: Universal Television, Davis Entertainment
Logline: A high-concept, genre procedural revolving around a team of investigators who solve the highest-profile crimes by sending our heroes 36 hours into the past … in the body of the victim. They assume the victim’s identity and must race against time to prevent the crime before it happens.
LA BREA
Writer(s): David Appelbaum
Producer(s): Avi Nir, Alon Shtruzman, Peter Traugott, Rachel Kaplan, Ken Woodruff
Studio: Universal Television, Keshet Studios
Logline: When a massive sinkhole mysteriously opens in Los Angeles, it tears a family in half, separating mother and son from father and daughter. When part of the family find themselves in an unexplainable primeval world, alongside a disparate group of strangers, they must work to survive and uncover the mystery of where they are and if there is a way back home.
ORDINARY JOE
Writer(s): Russel Friend, Garrett Lerner
Producer(s): Matt Reeves, Adam Kassan, Rafi Crohn, Howard Klein
Studio: 20th Century Fox Television, 6th & Idaho, 3Arts Entertainment
Logline: Explores the three parallel lives of the show’s main character after he makes a pivotal choice at a crossroads in his life. The series asks the question of how different life might look if you made your decision based on love, loyalty or passion.
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