This list will be frequently updated as more pilots are announced and cast.
Pilot season is upon us, meaning the broadcast networks are taking stock of their needs for the 2021-22 TV season and getting the ball rolling toward filling any gaps. With things about to get really interesting — it’s time to start casting stars in these wannabe hits! — TVLine presents its annual round-up of who’s planning what, and well as our guide to the lingo that gets tossed around.
For easy access: Review the list of pilots for ABC, CBS, The CW, Fox and NBC, and we urge you to bookmark this constantly updated page for the very latest intel.
PILOT | When a network orders a pilot, they’re asking its writers/producers/studio to cast and produce a very close facsimile of a series’ first episode. Each pilot is reviewed by network brass, then typically put into testing before its fate is decided. (A “put pilot” has a greater likelihood of “going to series,” as there is a significant financial penalty if it does not.)
PLANTED SPIN-OFF | Also called a “backdoor” pilot, this is an episode of an existing series that sets up a prospective offshoot. (See: Arrow‘s “Green Arrow and the Canaries” episode.) Retro History Lesson: That Brady Bunch episode with neighbor Ken Berry adopting three diverse boys? That was an ill-fated planted pilot, for a spin-off that was to be called Kelly’s Kids.)
DRAMA/COMEDY PRESENTATION | Due to time or budget restraints, a network sometimes won’t order a full pilot but a shorter “presentation” that gives a sense of what a drama or sitcom would look like.
CAST-CONTINGENT | Sometimes a network will order a pilot with the caveat that filming can’t start until a suitable (read: “name”) actor has been cast in a lead role. (Translation: “The premise is iffy, but a star could sell us.”) So you’ll sometimes hear that with the casting of so-and-so, “the cast contingency has been lifted” on a pilot.
SECOND POSITION | AKA the two words that make fans of “bubble” shows extremely anxious each spring, as stars from low-rated series start booking pilots (provided they get the OK from their current bosses). The term literally means that a pilot role is in second position/priority if their show gets renewed. The fact that an actor booked a “second position” gig doesn’t always mean his/her current show is doomed… but it usually does. Variation: A “safe second” means the pilot’s bosses have been discreetly assured that the actor will be available.
UPFRONTS | The week in mid-May when the networks take turns unveiling their schedules for next season — including the pilots that have been ordered to series. With rare exception, if your show doesn’t make the cut here, it’s a goner.
And now, our running update of pilots ordered for the 2021-22 TV season, going network by network….
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ABC PILOTS
Our running update of pilots ordered for the 2021-22 TV season, going network by network; EPs = executive producers. (Jump to CBS, The CW, Fox or NBC.)
ABBOTT ELEMENTARY (Comedy) — ORDERED TO SERIES
WRITER: Quinta Brunson
OTHER EPs: Justin Halpern, Patrick Schumacker
CAST: Quinta Brunson (A Black Lady Sketch Show), Tyler James Williams (Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders, Everybody Hates Chris), Chris Perfetti (In the Dark), Lisa Ann Walter (Emeril), Sheryl Lee Ralph (Ray Donovan, Instant Mom), Janelle James
A workplace comedy about a group of teachers brought together in one of the worst public schools in the country, simply because they love teaching. The teachers will rely on each other to make it through the day, and find a way to counteract the school district’s bulls–t attitude toward educating children.ACTS OF CRIME (Drama) — NOT MOVING FORWARD
WRITER: Sam Esmail
OTHER EPs: Chad Hamilton
CAST: Candace Grace, Molly Price (Third Watch), Peter Mark Kendall (Chicago Med, The Americans), Josiah Cross
A unique spin on the crime procedural.ADOPTED (Comedy) — NOT MOVING FORWARD
WRITERS: Shawn Vance, Daril Fannin, Jimmy Kimmel
CAST: Shawn Vance, Bruce Campbell (Ash vs Evil Dead, Burn Notice), Wendie Malick (Hot in Cleveland), Sofia Pernas (Blood & Treasure), Maxim Swinton, Tate Moore, Reyn Doi
Inspired by Vance’s life, when a Green Beret (Vance) returns home to Texas from military service, he and his family (Campbell, Malick) struggle with the challenges of adopting his new brother, a 12-year-old Russian boy.
Sherri Shepherd (AP Images)
BLACK DON’T CRACK (Comedy) — NOT MOVING FORWARD
WRITER: Regina Hicks
OTHER EPs: Viola Davis, Julius Tennon, Larry Wilmore
CAST: Sherri Shepherd (Trial and Error), Essence Atkins (Marlon, Half & Half), Tisha Campbell (My Wife and Kids), Tahj Mowry (Baby Daddy), Beth Grant (The Mindy Project), Isaiah Mustafa (Shadowhunters)
A multi-cam about three former sorority sisters who lost touch after college and reunite during a pivotal point in their lives. They realize sometimes it’s OK to crack and when you do, no one will be there for you like your friends.BUCKTOWN (Comedy) — NOT MOVING FORWARD
WRITER: Emily Wilson
OTHER EPs: Tom Werner, Sara Gilbert, Marc Provissiero, Mandy Summers
CAST: Shannon Woodward (Westworld, Raising Hope), Nicole Richie (Great News), Jane Lynch (Glee), Annie Gonzalez (Gentefied), Sofia Capanna
The multi-cam centers on a protagonist named Amy, who, after being dumped by her boyfriend and kicked out of her apartment on the eve of a big promotion, finds refuge at her mom’s house in the blue-collar neighborhood she grew up in. Amy reconnects with her teenage niece living there due to her sister’s latest rehab stint and resolves to stay when she realizes that her mom and niece aren’t quite equipped to go it alone.DARK HORSE (Drama) — NOT MOVING FORWARD
WRITER: William Jehu Garroutte
OTHER EPs: Showrunner Jessica Goldberg, Peter Traugott, Avi Nir, Alon Shtruzman, Darren Dale, Miranda Dear, Rachel Griffiths
Follows Alex Irving, a passionate Indigenous woman, on her unconventional journey into politics. As Alex reckons with her own troubled past, she juggles obligations to her family, her culture, and a political system that’s never seen anybody quite like her. Based on the Australian series Total Control.EPIC (Drama) — NOT MOVING FORWARD
WRITER: Brigitte Hales
OTHER EPs: Adam Horowitz, Edward Kitsis
CAST: Brittany O’Grady (Little Voice), Eleanor Fanyinka (the UK’s Holby City), Sarah Hyland (Modern Family), Toby Sebastian (Game of Thrones)
A romantic anthology series that reinvents fairy tales for a new audience. Sources previously told TVLine that the potential series — which is not set in the Once Upon a Time universe — will present all-new characters and “new spins on the classic archetypes.”MAGGIE (Comedy) — ORDERED TO SERIES
WRITERS: Maggie Mull, Justin Adler
OTHER EPs: Evan Hayes
CAST: Rebecca Rittenhouse (The Mindy Project), Nichole Sakura (Superstore), Angelique Cabral (Life in Pieces), Chloe Bridges (The Carrie Diaries), Kerri Kenney (Reno 911), David Del Rio (The Baker and the Beauty), Chris Elliott (Schitt’s Creek), Ray Ford (Grey’s Anatomy), Leonardo Nam (Westworld)
A young woman tries to cope with life while coming to terms with her abilities as a psychic. She can see everyone’s future, but her present is a mess. Based on the short film of the same name by Tim Curcio.NATIONAL PARKS INVESTIGATION (Drama) — NOT MOVING FORWARD
WRITERS: Aaron Helbing, Kevin Costner, Jon Baird
OTHER EPs: Rod Lake, Ivan Cohen, Ken Halsband, Barry Jossen, Tana Jamieson
CAST: Billy Campbell (The 4400), Angel Parker (Marvel’s Runaways), Gerardo Celasco (Next), Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut (Homeland), Blu Hunt (Another Life, The Originals), Tiffany Dupont (9-1-1, Proven Innocent), Alec Mapa (Ugly Betty)
While the national parks are known for their sweeping, beautiful landscapes, there is also a darker, more sinister side to these parks that attract a vast array of criminal activity. The drama will follow the small group of elite NPS agents as they solve these crimes while protecting these national treasures.PROMISED LAND (Drama) — ORDERED TO SERIES
WRITER: Matt Lopez
OTHER EPs: Adam Kolbrenner
CAST: Christina Ochoa (Animal Kingdom, Blood Drive), John Ortiz (Togetherness, Rake), Augusto Aguilera (Made for Love), Mariel Molino, Cecilia Suárez, Katya Martín, Rolando Chusan
An epic, generation-spanning drama about two Latinx families vying for wealth and power in California’s Sonoma Valley.
Eve (Everett Collection)
QUEENS (Drama) — ORDERED TO SERIES
WRITER: Zahir McGhee
OTHER EPs: Sabrina Wind
CAST: Eve (Eve), Brandy (Moesha), Naturi Naughton (Power), Nadine Velazquez (My Name Is Earl), Pepi Sonuga (Famous in Love)
Follows four women in their 40s who reunite for a chance to recapture their fame and regain the swagger they had as the ’90s hip-hop group Nasty Bitches.
Parisa Fitz-Henley (AP Images)
TRIAGE (Drama) — NOT MOVING FORWARD
WRITERS: Erica Messer, David Cornue
OTHER EPs: Director Jon M. Chu, Steven Marrs, Courtney Hazlett, Caitlin Foito
CAST: Parisa Fitz-Henley (Midnight, Texas), Bex Taylor-Klaus (Deputy, Arrow), Michael Ealy (Stumptown), Jamie-Lynn Sigler (Entourage, The Sopranos), Andrew Richardson (The Last O.G.), Kathleen Robertson (Murder in the First)
A character-driven medical drama that follows a pioneering surgeon, Finley Briar, over three distinct decades at the same hospital. With the evolution of medicine as the backdrop, the show explores the interconnected careers, friendships, and romances of Finley and her colleagues, and their tenuous relationship with time.
Baldwin & Grammer (AP Images)
UNTITLED ALEC BALDWIN/KELSEY GRAMMER PROJECT (Comedy) —
ORDERED STRAIGHT TO SERIESNOT MOVING FORWARD
WRITERS: Chris Lloyd, Vali Chandrasekaran
OTHER EPs: Alec Baldwin, Kelsey Grammer, Jason Schrift, Matt DelPiano, Tom Russo, Adam Griffin, Jeff Morton, director James Burrows
CAST: Alec Baldwin (30 Rock), Kelsey Grammer (Frasier), Alec Mapa (Ugly Betty)
The multi-cam revolves around three guys who were roommates in their 20s until their warring egos drove them apart, and who reunite decades later for one more run at the lives they’ve always wanted.
Courtesy of Lee Daniels/Twitter
THE WONDER YEARS (Comedy) — ORDERED TO SERIES
WRITER: Saladin Patterson
OTHER EPs: Lee Daniels, Marc Velez, director Fred Savage
CAST: Elisha “EJ” Williams, Dulé Hill (Suits, Psych), Saycon Sengbloh (In the Dark), Laura Kariuki (Black Lightning), Milan Ray, Julian Lerner, Amari O’Neil, narrator Don Cheadle
The new take on the 1988-93 series will be set during the turbulent ’60s, as the original was, but this time will center on a Black middle-class family from Montgomery, Alabama, who “made sure it was The Wonder Years for them, too,” per the official description. Neal Marlens, who co-created the original series with Carol Black, will serve as a consultant.WORK WIFE (Comedy) — NOT MOVING FORWARD
WRITERS: David Windsor, Casey Johnson
OTHER EPs: Kelly Ripa, Ryan Seacrest, Mark Consuelos
CAST: Angelique Cabral (Life in Pieces), Tone Bell (Fam), Christopher Gorham (Covert Affairs), Annapurna Sriram (The Blacklist), Matt Shively (The Real O’Neals) Maile Flanagan (Shameless) and Kelly Ripa in a recurring role
Inspired by Ripa and Seacrest’s partnership at Live, this single-camera project tells the story of a platonic male-female team whose professional success, personal friendship and ability to share deodorant makes their lives work. Set in the world of real estate, Dani and Scott have taken the leap to start their own team. Now feeling the stress of being the boss, they have to rely on the yin-yang of their dynamic more than ever to keep their professional and personal lives afloat. -
CBS PILOTS
Our running update of pilots ordered for the 2021-22 TV season, going network by network; EPs = executive producers. (Jump to ABC, The CW, Fox or NBC.)
Rose McIver (AP Images)
GHOSTS (Comedy) — ORDERED TO SERIES
WRITERS: Joe Port, Joe Wiseman
OTHER EPs: Mathew Baynton, Jim Howick, Simon Farnaby, Laurence Rickard, Ben Willbond, Martha Howe-Douglas, Alison Carpenter, Debra Hayward, Alison Owen, Angie Stephenson
CAST: Rose McIver (iZombie), Utkarsh Ambudkar (Brockmire, The Mindy Project), Brandon Scott Jones (The Good Place)
In the single-camera comedy, a struggling young couple’s dreams come true when they inherit a beautiful country house, only to find it’s both falling apart and inhabited by many of the deceased previous residents.
Sophia Bush (AP Images)
GOOD SAM (Drama) — ORDERED TO SERIES
WRITER: Katie Wech
OTHER EPs: Jennie Snyder Urman, Joanna Klein
CAST: Sophia Bush (Chicago P.D.), Jason Isaacs (The OA, Star Trek: Discovery), Michael Stahl-David (Narcos, The Deuce), Skye P. Marshall (Black Lightning), Edwin Hodge (Mayans M.C., Chicago Fire)
A talented yet stifled surgeon embraces her leadership role after her renowned and pompous boss falls into a coma. When he awakens and wants to resume surgery, however, it falls to her to supervise this overbearing blowhard who never acknowledged her talents — and also happens to be her father.THE THREE OF US (Comedy) — NOT MOVING FORWARD
WRITER: Frank Pines
OTHER EPs: Ben Winston, Jeff Grosvenor
CAST: Oliver Hudson (Splitting Up Together, Rules of Engagement), Malin Akerman (Billions, Trophy Wife), Brent Morin (Merry Happy Whatever), Vanessa Lachey (BH90210)
Adult siblings who are children of divorce must circle the wagons when their sister’s husband unexpectedly announces he wants to call it quits on their marriage in this multi-cam comedy.
True Lies the movie (Courtesy of Everett Collection)
TRUE LIES (Drama) — MOVING OFF CYCLE
WRITER: Matt Nix
OTHER EPs: Director McG, James Cameron, Rae Sanchini, Mary Viola
Shocked to discover that her bland and unremarkable computer consultant husband is a skilled international spy, an unfulfilled suburban housewife is propelled into a life of danger and adventure when she’s recruited to work alongside him to save the world as they try to revitalize their passionless marriage. Based the 1994 action-comedy.UNTITLED SARAH COOPER/CINDY CHUPACK PROJECT (Comedy) — NOT MOVING FORWARD
WRITERS: Sarah Cooper, Cindy Chupack
OTHER EPs: Nina Tassler, Denise Di Novi, Joan Boorstein
CAST: Natalie Morales (Parks and Recreation), Amy Landecker (Transparent), Alice Lee (Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist)
Inspired by Cooper’s book How to be Successful Without Hurting Men’s Feelings, the single-cam comedy follows three women at different stages in their careers at a male-dominated company who help each other navigate modern gender politics in their professional and personal lives.UNTITLED TOM SMALLWOOD PROJECT (Comedy) — ORDERED TO SERIES
WRITER: Mark Gross
OTHER EPs: David Hollander, Brian D’Arcy James
CAST: Pete Holmes (Crashing), Katie Lowes (Scandal), Chi McBride (Hawaii Five-O)
After being laid off from the assembly line at the GM factory, a seemingly ordinary man makes the extraordinary decision to provide for his family by following his dream of becoming a professional bowler. The multi-cam is based on professional bowler Tom Smallwood’s life.
Patrick Dempsey (AP Images)
WAYS & MEANS (Drama) — NOT MOVING FORWARD
WRITERS: Ed Redlich, Mike Murphy
OTHER EPs: Denise Di Novi, Tom Lassally, Nina Tassler, Co-EP Joannie Burstein
CAST: Patrick Dempsey (Grey’s Anatomy), Troian Bellisario (Pretty Little Liars), Amanda Warren (Madam Secretary, NCIS: New Orleans)
Centers around a powerful Congressional leader (Dempsey) who, after having lost faith in politics, finds himself working secretly with an idealistic young Congresswoman from the opposing party to subvert the hopelessly gridlocked system he helped create. Together, they’ll attempt to save American politics (provided they don’t get caught).
Hannah Simone (AP Images)
WELCOME TO GEORGIA (Comedy) — NOT MOVING FORWARD
WRITERS: Corinne Kingsbury, John Francis Daley, Jonathan Goldstein
OTHER EPs: Aaron Kaplan, Dana Honor, Wendi Trilling
CAST: Hannah Simone (New Girl), Elizabeth Hurley (The Royals), Taran Killam (Single Parents)
When Penelope’s career takes off at exactly the same time as her husband’s, they call on Penelope’s young single mom, Georgia, to help raise their son, but what they find is Georgia needs more raising than their kid in this multi-cam comedy.
Julie Bowen (AP Images)
WILDE THINGS (Comedy) — NOT MOVING FORWARD
WRITERS: Max Mutchnick, David Kohan
CAST: Julie Bowen (Modern Family), Ken Marino (Black Monday, Veronica Mars), Milan Carter, Jeremy D. Howard, Stephanie Koenig
The multi-cam comedy centers around Frankie Wolfe, an unfiltered, irreverent, powerful businesswoman with no personal life. When Frankie’s impossibly fragile and neurotic sister, Tommie, abandons Quincy — an incredibly bright inner-city child who Tommie attempted to foster — Frankie is faced with the choice of taking him in or casting him back out. Can these two lonely, damaged people find the love and companionship that has eluded them their whole lives? -
THE CW PILOTS
Image Credit: Courtesy of The CW Our running update of pilots ordered for the 2021-22 TV season, going network by network; EPs = executive producers. (Jump to ABC, CBS, Fox or NBC.)
Joseph David-Jones (Courtesy of The CW)
4400 (Drama) — ORDERED STRAIGHT TO SERIES
WRITER: Ariana Jackson
OTHER EPs: Anna Fricke, Laura Terry
CAST: Joseph David-Jones (Arrow), Brittany Adebumola (Grand Army), Jaye Ladymore (Chicago P.D.), Amarr Wooten (American Housewife), Cory Jeacoma (Power Book II: Ghost), Derrick A. King (Call Your Mother), Khaliah Johnson, TL Thompson, Ireon Roach, Autumn Best
Based on the original USA Network drama, the new take follows 4400 overlooked, undervalued, or otherwise marginalized people who vanished without a trace over the last hundred years are all returned in an instant, having not aged a day and with no memory of what happened to them. As the government races to analyze the potential threat and contain the story, the 4400 themselves must grapple with the fact that they’ve been returned with a few…upgrades, and the increasing likelihood that they were all brought back now for a specific reason.
Geffri Maya (Photo c/o Patrick Maus Studio)
ALL AMERICAN: HOMECOMING (Drama) — PICKED UP TO SERIES
WRITER: Nkechi Okoro Carroll
OTHER EPs: Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter, Robbie Rogers, David Madden
CAST: Geffri Maya (All American), Peyton Alex Smith (Legacies), Cory Hardrict (S.W.A.T., The Oath), Kelly Jenrette (Manhunt, Grandfathered), Sylvester Powell (Five Points), Camille Hyde (Katy Keene), Netta Walker
Airing as a backdoor pilot during All American‘s third season, the spinoff follows a young tennis hopeful from Beverly Hills and an elite baseball player from Chicago as they contend with the high stakes of college sports, while also navigating the highs, lows and sexiness of unsupervised early adulthood at a prestigious Historically Black College.
Courtesy of DC Comics (inset: Stacia Walfall)
NAOMI (Drama) — PICKED UP TO SERIES
WRITERS: Ava DuVernay, Jill Blankenship
OTHER EPs: Sarah Bremner, Paul Garnes
CAST: Kaci Walfall (Army Wives), Barry Watson (7th Heaven), Alexander Wraith (Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.), Cranston Johnson (Hap and Leonard), Mouzam Makkar (The Fix, Champions), Mary-Charles Jones (Kevin Can Wait), Aidan Gemme (Broadway’s Finding Neverland), Daniel Puig, Camila Moreno
Based on DC Comics characters, the drama follows a teen girl’s journey from her small northwestern town to the heights of the multiverse. When a supernatural event shakes her hometown to the core, Naomi sets out to uncover its origins, and what she discovers will challenge everything we believe about our heroes.OUR LADIES OF BROOKLYN (Drama) — NOT MOVING FORWARD
WRITERS: Claire Rothrock, Ryann Weir
OTHER EPs: Jennie Snyder Urman, Joanna Klein
CAST: Caitlin Kinnunen (Broadway’s The Prom), Bella Ortiz (Chicago Fire), Karen Robinson (Schitt’s Creek), Joe Regalbuto (Murphy Brown), Kathleen Chalfant (The Affair), Abubakr Ali (Katy Keene), Maxwell Whittington-Cooper, Em Haine (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina)
A dramedy about two millennial nuns — a devout true believer, and a new arrival who has yet to take her final vows — who start as strangers and become sisters on a funny, spiritual journey to understand their own faith and place in the Catholic church.
Courtesy of The CW
PAINKILLER (Drama) — NOT MOVING FORWARD
WRITER: Salim Akil
OTHER EPs: Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter, Mara Brock Akil, Oz Scott, Pascal Verschooris
CAST: Jordan Calloway (Black Lightning), Alexander Hodge (Insecure), Sibongile Mlambo (Siren, Lost in Space), James Roch (The Night Shift)
The planted spinoff pilot will air as the seventh episode of Black Lightning‘s fourth season. Khalil Payne is a young man ridden with the guilt of his troubled past from his former life in Freeland City, where, as a super-enhanced killing machine known as Painkiller, he was both a member of Tobias Whale’s gang and a weapon of Agent Odell and the shadowy ASA. After attempting to bury the darker, devastatingly lethal Painkiller part of his persona, Khalil has distanced himself away from everyone he knows and loves in a new city, Akashic Valley, in order to find peace, but peace never comes easy for men with pasts like Khalil Payne and Painkiller. As his violent, destructive history crashes his idyllic new beginning, Khalil is thrusted back into action with a new mission — bring justice where he once gave out punishment — but to do that, he will first have to deal with and harness his darker side, Painkiller.
Courtesy of The CW/James Acomb
POWERPUFF (Drama) — BEING REWORKED/RE-PILOTED OFF-CYCLE
WRITERS: Heather Regnier, Diablo Cody
OTHER EPs: Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter, David Madden
CAST: Dove Cameron (Disney Channel’s Descendants movies),Chloe Bennet (Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.), Yana Perrault, Donald Faison (Scrubs), Nicholas Podany (Hart of Dixie), Robyn Lively (Teen Witch), narrator Tom Kenny
In the live-action take on the original Cartoon Network animated series, The Powerpuff Girls used to be America’s pint-sized superheroes. Now they’re disillusioned twentysomethings who resent having lost their childhood to crime fighting. Will they agree to reunite now that the world needs them more than ever?
Tian Richards (Photo c/o Sergio Garcia)
TOM SWIFT (Drama) — STILL IN CONTENTION
WRITERS: Melinda Hsu Taylor, Noga Landau, Cameron Johnson
OTHER EPs: Josh Schwartz, Stephanie Savage
CAST: Tian Richards (Being Mary Jane), the voice of LeVar Burton (Star Trek: The Next Generation)
The planted Nancy Drew spinoff follows the serialized adventures of the billionaire inventor who is thrust into a world of sci-fi conspiracy and unexplained phenomena after the shocking disappearance of his father. Tom takes to the road on a quest to unravel the truth, leaving behind the comforts of his usual moneyed lifestyle, all while fighting to stay one step ahead of an Illuminati-scale group hell-bent on stopping him. Tom’s missions will require his genius and flair for innovation guided by love, romance, friendship and the mysteries of the universe yet-unsolved. The Tom Swift character will appear in an episode of Nancy Drew‘s second season, when Tom crashes into one of Nancy’s investigations, an event which Nancy interprets as supernatural and Tom believes to be cosmically paranormal. -
FOX PILOTS
Image Credit: Courtesy of Fox Our running update of pilots ordered for the 2021-22 TV season, going network by network; EPs = executive producers. (Jump to ABC, CBS, The CW or NBC.)
Scott Foley (AP Images)
THE BIG LEAP (Drama) — ORDERED TO SERIES
WRITER: Liz Heldens
OTHER EPs: Sue Naegle
CAST: Scott Foley (Scandal, Whiskey Cavalier), Piper Perabo (Covert Affairs), Teri Polo (The Fosters), Mallory Jansen (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.), Kevin Daniels (Council of Dads), Ser’Darius Blain (Charmed), Ray Cham (Five Points), Jon Rudnitsky (Catch-22), Simone Recasner
Inspired by a UK format, the centers on a group of diverse underdogs from all different walks of life who compete to be part of a competition reality series that is putting on a modern, hip remake of “Swan Lake.” What they lack in the traditional dancer body type, they make up for with their edge, wit and desire to reimagine an iconic story to fit their own mold.
Melissa Leo (AP Images)
BLOOD RELATIVE (Drama) — NOT MOVING FORWARD
WRITERS: Chris Levinson, James Renner
OTHER EPs: Director Philip Noyce, Liza Chasin
CAST: Melissa Leo (I’m Dying Up Here), Tate Donovan (Damages, The O.C.), Dascha Polanco (Orange Is the New Black), Tyrone Marshall Brown (Power, Love Is___), Sarah Catherine Hook, Dawnn Lewis (A Different World)
Genetic genealogy is the best new tool in crime-scene forensics, and nobody knows it like Louise Kelly. Too bad she’s impossible to deal with. Based on a 2018 Cleveland Scene article by journalist and author James Renner.
Élodie Yung (AP Images)
THE CLEANING LADY (Drama) — ORDERED TO SERIES
WRITER: Miranda Kwok
OTHER EPs: Shay Mitchell, Melissa Carter
CAST: Élodie Yung (Marvel’s Daredevil, The Defenders), Vincent Piazza (The Passage, Boardwalk Empire), Ginger Gonzaga (Kidding, I’m Dying Up Here)
Based on the Argentine series La Chica que Limpia, this darkly aspirational character drama follows 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.HOUSEBROKEN (Animated Comedy) — ORDERED STRAIGHT TO SERIES
WRITERS: Clea Duvall, Jennifer Crittenden, Gabrielle Allan
OTHER EPs: Sharon Horgan, Clelia Mountford, Aaron Kaplan, Dana Honor
VOICE CAST: Lisa Kudrow, Clea Duvall, Nat Faxon, Sharon Horgan, Will Forte, Tony Hale, Jason Mantzoukas, Sam Richardson, Bresha Webb, Greta Lee
An irreverent comedy that explores human dysfunction and neurosis through a group of neighborhood animals who live in the suburbs.MONARCH (Drama) — ORDERED STRAIGHT TO SERIES
WRITER: Melissa London Hilfers
OTHER EPs: Showrunner Michael Rauch, Gail Berman, Hend Baghdady, Jason Owen
A Texas-sized, multigenerational musical drama about America’s first family of country music. The Romans are fiercely talented, but while their name is synonymous with honesty, the very foundation of their success is a lie. When their reign as country royalty is put in jeopardy, Nicky Roman, the heir to the crown, already battling an industry stacked against her, will stop at nothing to protect her family’s legacy.
Eliza Coupe, Ginnifer Goodwin and Maggie Q (AP Images)
PIVOTING (Comedy) — ORDERED TO SERIES
WRITER: Liz Astrof
OTHER EPs: Aaron Kaplan, Dana Honor
CAST: Eliza Coupe (Happy Endings), Ginnifer Goodwin (Why Women Kill, Once Upon a Time), Maggie Q (Designated Survivor), Tommy Dewey (Casual, The Mindy Project), JT Neal (Bless This Mess)
The single-camera comedy follows three women after the death of their childhood best friend. Faced with the reality that life is short, in desperate attempts to find happiness, they make a series of impulsive, ill-advised and self-indulgent decisions, strengthening their bond proving it’s never too late to screw up your life.THIS COUNTRY (Comedy) — ORDERED TO SERIES
WRITER: Jenny Bicks
OTHER EPs: Director Paul Feig, Angie Stephenson, Dan Magnante and original series creators Charlie Cooper and Daisy May Cooper
CAST: Seann William Scott (Lethal Weapon), Aya Cash (You’re the Worst), Sam Straley (The Kids Are Alright), Taylor Ortega (Kim Possible movie), Chelsea Holmes, Krystal Smith, Justin Linville
In this half-hour mockumentary inspired by the BBC format, a documentary crew goes to a small town to study young adults and their current concerns. Their focus is the daily lives of cousins Kelly (Holmes) and Shrub Mallet (Straley) and their idiosyncratic surroundings. We follow the cousins as they pursue their dreams, confront challenges, and fight each other for frozen pizza. These two don’t have much, but they do have each other.UNTITLED FILM RE-ENACTMENT PROJECT (Drama) — NOT MOVING FORWARD
WRITER: Sarah Watson
OTHER EPs: Director Greg Mottola, Gail Berman, Lauren Shuler Donner, Richard Donner, Justin Falvey, Darryl Frank
After failing to make it in New York and carrying a heavy secret with her, Stella Cooper returns to her distressed automotive hometown to substitute teach. She finds inspiration, hope, and ultimately salvation when she agrees to help three students who are pursuing their filmmaking dreams by putting on an impossibly ambitious shot-for-shot remake of one of the student’s favorite movies, The Goonies. Over the course of the season, their passion will inspire a town in desperate need of hope in this love letter to the power of cinema, storytelling and dreams. -
NBC PILOTS
Our running update of pilots ordered for the 2021-22 TV season, going network by network; EPs = executive producers. (Jump to ABC, CBS, The CW or Fox.)
Courtesy of NBC
AMERICAN AUTO (Comedy) — ORDERED TO SERIES
WRITER: Justin Spitzer
OTHER EPs: Aaron Kaplan
CAST: Ana Gasteyer (Suburgatory), Harriet Dyer (The InBetween), X Mayo (The Daily Show), Jon Barinholtz (Superstore), Humphrey Ker (Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet), Michael B. Washington (Ratched), Tye White (Greenleaf)
A single-camera workplace comedy 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.AT THAT AGE (Drama) — NOT MOVING FORWARD
WRITER: Carla Banks-Waddles
OTHER EPs: Malcolm D. Lee, Debra Martin Chase
CAST: Emayatzy Corinealdi (Ballers), Christian Keyes (Legends of Tomorrow, Supernatural), Nicole Ari Parker (Chicago P.D., Empire), Brad James (A House Divided), Adrian Holmes (V-Wars, Arrow), Jade Eshete (Billions)
An exploration of an African-American family’s legacy, the drama follows the Coopers after their “golden child” suffers a catastrophic event. As a result, seven family members face a foundational shift, make life-altering decisions, and deal with deep secrets coming to light.CRAZY FOR YOU (Comedy) — STILL IN CONTENTION
WRITER: Rachele Lynn
OTHER EPs: Lorne Michaels, Andrew Singer, Seth Meyers, Mike Shoemaker
A single-cam comedy about Daisy who, 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.
The Da Vinci Code (Courtesy of Sony Pictures Releasing)
DAN BROWN’S LANGDON (Drama) — ORDERED TO SERIES AT PEACOCK
WRITERS: Dan Dworkin, Jay Beattie
OTHER EPs: Dan Brown, Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, Anna Culp, Samie Falvey
CAST: Ashley Zukerman (Succession), Valorie Curry (The Following), Eddie Izzard (The Riches), Rick Gonzalez (Arrow), Sumalee Montano (Star Trek: Picard), Beau Knapp (Seven Seconds)
Based on author Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol — the fourth Robert Langdon book — the Da Vinci Code prequel follows the early adventures of the famed Harvard symbologist, who must solve a series of deadly puzzles to save his kidnapped mentor and thwart a chilling global conspiracy.
Shanola Hampton (AP Images)
DANGEROUS MOMS (Drama) — STILL IN CONTENTION
WRITER: Janine Sherman Barrois
OTHER EPs: Rachel Kaplan, Tariq Jalil, Lucas Carter, Arantxa Écija, Santi Botello
CAST: Shanola Hampton (Shameless), Dascha Polanco (Orange Is the New Black)
A surprising off-center dark dramedy about four diverse mothers who accidentally kill the queen bee of their school’s PTA during the demonstration of a new high-end food processor. The story becomes a female anthem about friendship and family as it tells the story of one completely unprepared group of women who must juggle their everyday lives while their worlds are turned upside down. Based on the Spanish original series Señoras del (h)Ampa.ECHO (Drama) — STILL IN CONTENTION
WRITER: JJ Bailey
OTHER EPs: John Davis, John Fox
A high-concept, genre procedural revolving around a team of investigators who solve the highest-profile crimes by sending our heroes into the past… in the body of the victim. Assuming the victim’s identity, they must race against time to prevent the crime before it happens.
Annie Ilonzeh (AP Images)
GETAWAY (Drama) — STILL IN CONTENTION
WRITER: JJ Bailey, Moira Kirland
OTHER EPs: John Davis, John Fox
CAST: Annie Ilonzeh (Chicago Fire), Matt Long (Manifest), Marg Helgenberger (All Rise, CSI), Jasmine Mathews (The Rookie), E.J. Bonilla (Bull)
A destination wedding at an isolated luxury resort quickly descends into chaos after a group of dangerous criminals takes the island hostage. The small group of guests, led by a fearless female army vet, will do everything they can to stay alive.
Courtesy of NBC
GRAND CREW (Comedy) — ORDERED TO SERIES
WRITER: Phil Jackson
OTHER EPs: Dan Goor
CAST: Nicole Byer (Nailed It!), Echo Kellum (Arrow), Aaron Jennings (Pure Genius), Carl Tart (Bajillion Dollar Propertie$), Justin Cunningham (When They See Us)
A single-camera ensemble comedy about “black people, dating and wine.”
Demi Lovato (AP Images)
HUNGRY (Comedy) — STILL IN CONTENTION
WRITER: Suzanne Martin
OTHER EPs: Demi Lovato, Sean Hayes, Todd Milliner, Scooter Braun, Scott Manson, James Shin
CAST: Demi Lovato (Will & Grace, Sonny With a Chance), Valerie Bertinelli (Hot in Cleveland), Anna Akana (A Million Little Things), Ashley D. Kelley (Insatiable), Jay Klaitz (FBI, Instinct), Rory O’Malley (Broadway’s The Book of Mormon), Christian Magby (The Flash), Alex Brightman
Friends who belong to a food issues group help each other as they look for love, success and the perfect thing in the fridge that’s going to make it all better.JEFFERIES (Comedy) — STILL IN CONTENTION
WRITERS: Suzanne Martin, Jim Jefferies
OTHER EPs: Sean Hayes, Todd Milliner, Tim Sarkes, Alex Murray
CAST: Jim Jefferies
The multi-cam stars Jefferies 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.
Natalie Zea (AP Images)
LA BREA (Drama) — ORDERED TO SERIES
WRITER: David Appelbaum
OTHER EPs: Avi Nir, Alon Shtruzman, Peter Traugott, Rachel Kaplan, Ken Woodruff
CAST: Natalie Zea (The Detour), Eoin Macken (The Night Shift), Jon Seda (Chicago P.D.), Nicholas Gonzalez (The Good Doctor), Chiké Okonkwo (Being Mary Jane), Veronica St. Clair (13 Reasons Why), Jack Martin (All Rise), Nicholas Gonzalez (Mystery Road), Lily Santiago, Zyra Gorecki, Josh McKenzie (New Zealand’s Filthy Rich), Chloe De Los Santos (Tidelands)
When a massive sinkhole mysteriously opens in Los Angeles, it tears a family in half, separating mother and son from father and daughter. When half 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.
Melissa Rauch and John Larroquette (Courtesy of ID PR; NBC)
NIGHT COURT (Comedy) — STILL IN CONTENTION
WRITER: Dan Rubin
OTHER EPs: Melissa Rauch, Winston Rauch, producer John Larroquette
CAST: Melissa Rauch (The Big Bang Theory), John Larroquette (the original Night Court, The Good Fight), Ana Villafañe (Younger, New Amsterdam), Kapil Talwalkar (Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist)
In the sequel series, unapologetic optimist judge Abby Stone (Rauch), the daughter of the late Harry Stone, follows in her father’s footsteps as she presides over the night shift of a Manhattan arraignment court and tries to bring order to its crew of oddballs and cynics, most notably former night court prosecutor Dan Fielding (Larroquette).
James Wolk (AP Images)
ORDINARY JOE (Drama) — ORDERED TO SERIES
WRITERS: Russel Friend, Garrett Lerner
OTHER EPs: Matt Reeves, Adam Kassan, Rafi Crohn, Howard Klein
CAST: James Wolk (Watchmen, Zoo), Natalie Martinez (Under the Dome), Charlie Barnett (Arrow, Russian Doll), Elizabeth Lail (YOU)
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.SOMEONE OUT THERE (Comedy) — STILL IN CONTENTION
WRITERS: Matt Hubbard, Josh Siegal, Dylan Morgan
OTHER EPs: Gabrielle Dennis (A Black Lady Sketch Show), Emiliano Calemzuk, Javier Veiga
CAST: Ed Weeks (The Mindy Project), Kimia Behpoornia (Atypical)
A single-cam rom-com 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 Pequenas Coincidencias, created by Javier Veiga.
Morena Baccarin and Ryan Michelle Bathe (AP Images)
UNTITLED NICK WOOTEN/JAKE COBURN PROJECT (Drama) — ORDERED TO SERIES
WRITERS: Nick Wootton, Jake Coburn
OTHER EPs: Julie Plec, Emily Cummins
CAST: Morena Baccarin (Gotham), Ryan Michelle Bathe (All Rise), Costa Ronin (The Americans), Noah Bean (Nikita), Kamal Bolden (Rosewood)
A pulse-pounding, high-stakes two-hander featuring two women – a recently captured brilliant criminal mastermind who orchestrates a number of coordinated bank heists for a mysterious purpose, and the principled, relentless and socially outcast FBI agent who will stop at nothing to foil her ambitious plan.
