Fox, NBC, ABC and CBS have lunged into the new year by picking up 22 pilot orders, Variety reports, initiating the next intense wave of competition to land a series deal among show producers, writers and actors.
NBC has ordered the most, at seven, including three dramas and four comedies from the likes of "Law and Order's" Dick Wolf and "Arrested Development's" Jason Bateman. Bateman will co-produce an as-of-yet untitled family-oriented comedy by D.J. Nash. Wolf, known mostly for crime dramas, will this year produce a comedy based on "Girlfriend in a Coma" by Douglas Coupland, about a 34-year-old woman who awakens from a long coma to learn she has a 17 year-old daughter. One of the most novel concepts in the network's lineup, however, comes from "Lost's" Cartlon Cuse: "The Sixth Gun," which TVGuide describes as "a supernatural Western that follows the story of six mythical guns" is based on the eponymous best-selling graphic novel.
In surprisingly unsurprising news, the biggest winner amongst all the producers is Hollywood's man of the year, Seth MacFarlane, who won't have to compete for a series. Based on the strength of the pilot, Fox has already ordered six episodes from team who created "Ted" called "Dads," a sitcom about two thirty-something men whose dads move in with them. The premise of Fox's drama orders sound slightly more ambitious, however, including a reunion from the "Star Trek" team to depict a modern-day retelling of the "Sleepy Hollow" fairytale, and "Delirium," based on Lauren Oliver's bestselling young adult trilogy about a world where love is considered a disease meant to be eradicated.
Among other most notable comedy picks of the slate: Eddie Murphy will co-exec produce and star in a "Beverly Hills Cop" remake, which Variety explains is a "continuation of the movie franchise" for CBS, and "The Office" writer Gene Stupnitsky, along with Lee Eisenberg will pen a comedy called "The Pulling," about "three dysfunctional women in their 30s" for ABC.
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