USA develops on past success
Net continues with 'high-concept characters'
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At the net's upfront presentation today , programming chief Jeff Wachtel will take the wraps off a development slate that once again includes a number of shows with quirky male leads. USA was the top-rated cable net last year among adults 18-49 and 25-54 thanks to a lineup heavy on single-lead shows such as "Monk" and "Psych."
But in an interview Tuesday, Wachtel said USA's overall development philosophy this year is geared toward expanding beyond what's worked in the past.
"We're starting to branch out with a few of these shows," Wachtel said. "You get to be No. 1 by taking risks, and that's also how you stay No. 1.
Now that USA has cemented its status as the cable ratings leader, Wachtel seems to be setting his sights on bigger fish.
"It's about blurring the lines between us and the broadcast networks," he said. "It's about becoming a destination for great entertainment, period."
Wachtel emphasized his desire to continue to produce shows with "high-concept characters," as well as "a light, aspirational tone and marketable concepts and hooks."
But possible skeins such as "Shirleyville" -- about an Afghanistan war vet who becomes mayor of his small hometown -- will offer subtle tonal shifts from past USA skeins, Wachtel said.
"There's an element of social satire in there that's a little new for us," Wachtel said of the project, which scribes Leo Geter and Jim Leonard ("Close to Home") are penning.
While Wachtel will be announcing four pilot scripts, USA's overall slate is actually much larger than usual. Because of the strike, two development cycles have been squashed into one.
Projects that have long been gestating -- like producer Donald De Line's "The Negotiator" and Toni Graphia's "American Girl" -- remain "in very active consideration," Wachtel said.
Exec said he hopes to greenlight two pilots within the next month and at least one more by summer. Skeins are being targeted for summer 2009 debuts, though that could change as USA seeks to continue its efforts to debut new shows year-round.
Also in the hopper: USA has given thumbs up to a scripted project tentatively titled "Royal Pains," which revolves around a successful doctor who ends up working as an on-call physician to the super-rich.
With repeats of "House" slated to be stripped on USA later this year, "It would be nice to have a medical show, if it's the right thing," Wachtel said.
Andrew Lenchewski is writing the script and will co-exec produce. Rich Frank and Paul Frank will exec produce, with John Rogers onboard as a producer.
Fox Television Studios, meanwhile, is producing "White Collar," about a creative conman. Lead character escapes prison to search for a lost love and ends up working with the FBI to track down other criminals. Jeff Eastin ("Hawaii"), who's developed for USA before, is writing and exec producing.
Also new to USA's roster: "The Nanny Files," an hour about a crime-solving nanny. Rick Copp ("The Brady Bunch Movie") will write and exec produce, with Joann Moore a co-exec producer.
Wachtel is prepping for another busy summer at USA, with all of the cabler's marquee shows expected to return -- despite the production interruption caused by the strike.
"We were able to manage the process so that our summer season is pretty much intact," Wachtel said.
USA will also take the wraps off "In Plain Sight" and the series version of "The Starter Wife," giving the cabler two dramas with strong females at the center.
New episodes of "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" will also air. Wachtel said no decision has been made about whether the skein will be back on USA next year.
NBC Universal insiders said execs have been very pleased with the Dick Wolf-produced skein's ratings. Show's cost, among other things, will be a factor in determining whether there will be a new season.
