Posted: Thurs., Feb. 19, 2009, 8:46pm PT

ABC TV pilots: 2009-2010

The networks are tapping the weak economy to conjure their own ratings stimulus.

Several of next season's series hopefuls revolve around characters who have been hit by the recession -- while several more take on the nation's widening gap between haves and have nots.

That's just one of several trends emerging from this year's surprisingly hefty crop of pilot orders.

Read more about how the economic crisis is affecting trends this pilot season



Drama
TITLE
STUDIO
EXEC PRODUCERS      
DIRECTOR
LOGLINE
CAST
The Deep End
PICKED UP
20th Century Fox TV
David Hemingson
David Hemingson

Follows four first-year recruits to a prestigious L.A. law firm

Matt Long, Ben Lawson, Tina Majorino, Norbert Leo Butz, Leah Pipes, Billy Zane, Sherri Saum, Clancy Brown
Eastwick PICKED UP
Warner Bros
Maggie Friedman
David Nutter
Based on John Updike’s “The Witches of Eastwick”
Rebecca Romijn, Lindsay Price, Jamie Ray Newman, Paul Gross, Sara Rue, Veronica Cartwright, Johann Urb, Jon Bernthal, Ashley Benson
Empire StateNOT PICKED UP
ABC Studios
Michael Seitzman, Jeff Reiner, Mark Gordon, Deb Spera
Jeremy Podeswa

Two families – one rich, one blue collar -- collide in Manhattan

n/a
Flash Forward
PICKED UP
ABC Studios
David Goyer, Brannon Braga, Jessika Goye, Vince Gerardis, Ralph Vicinanza
David Goyer
Based on Robert J. Sawyer’s sci-fi novel
Joseph Fiennes, John Cho, Jack Davenport, Sonya Walger, Courtney B. Vance, Brian O’Byrne, Christine Woods, Zachary Knighton, Peyton List
Happy Town
PICKED UP
ABC Studios
Josh Appelbaum, Andre Nemec, Scott Rosenberg, Gary Fleder
Gary Fleder
Small town’s secrets revealed after its first crime in seven years
Geoff Stults, Lauren German, Amy Acker, Dean Winters, John Patrick Amedori, Sarah Gadon, Jay Paulson, Robert Wisdom, Sam Neill
The Forgotten
PICKED UP
Warner Bros. TV
Mark Friedman, Jerry Bruckheimer, Jonathan Littman, Danny Cannon
Mark Friedman
A team of dedicated amateur detectives work on cases involving unidentified victims

Rupert Penry-Jones, Reiko Aylesworth, Michelle Borth, Bob Stephenson, Anthony Carrigan, Rochelle Aytes

Limelight
NOT PICKED UP
Warner Bros.
KJ Steinberg, McG, Peter Johnson, Leonard Goldberg, David Semel
David Semel
Students and faculty at a New York performing arts school
n/a
See Cate Run
NOT PICKED UP
ABC Studios
John Scott Shepherd, Matt Gross
Dean Parisot
Young attorney struggles with love; but will one day run for president
n/a
Untitled Daniel Cerone Project
NOT PICKED UP
ABC Studios
Daniel Cerone, Francie Calfo
Greg Hoblit 

Detective uses brilliant 11-year-old brother to solve crimes

n/a
Untitled Dave Hemingson Proj.
NOT PICKED UP
20th Century Fox
Dave Hemingson
Michael Fresco
Blue-collar kid gets first job at powerful L.A. law firm
n/a
The Unknown
NOT PICKED UP
Warner Bros.
Mark Friedman, Jerry Bruckheimer, Jonathan Littman, Danny Cannon
Danny Cannon
Amateur crime fighters bring justice to unknown victims
n/a
V
PICKED UP
Warner Bros.
Scott Peters, Jason Hall
Yves Simoneau
Remake of the 1980s miniseries, about aliens arriving to Earth
A reimagining of the 1980s miniseries about the world’s first encounter with an alien race
Comedy
TITLE
STUDIO
EXEC PRODUCERS      
DIRECTOR
LOGLINE
CAST
Canned
NOT PICKED UP
ABC Studios
Kevin Etten, Peter Traugott, David Rosenthal     
n/a
Presentation about friends who all get fired on the same day; multi-cam
n/a
Cougar TownPICKED UP
ABC Studios
Kevin Biegel, Bill Lawrence, Courtney Cox-Arquette, David Arquette
Bill Lawrence
Cox-Arquette stars as a single mom who starts dating; single-cam
Courteney Cox, Christa Miller, Busy Philipps, Dan Byrd, Brian Van Holt, Josh Hopkins, Ian Gomez
Hank
PICKED UP
Warner Bros. TV
Tucker Cawley, Tom Werner, Kelsey Grammer, Mike Clements
Tucker Cawley
Reserve officers for the L.A. County sheriffs  department; single-cam

Kelsey Grammer, Melinda McGraw, David Koechner, Macey Cruthird, Ryan Wynott

Let It Go
NOT PICKED UP
Sony
Alex Herschlag, Mitch Hurwitz, Eric and Kim Tannenbaum      
n/a
Lauren Graham as a self-help guru learning to follow her own advice; single-cam
n/a
The Middle
PICKED UP
Warner Bros.
DeAnne Heline, Eileen Heisler
Julia Ann Robinson

Life of a Midwest middle-class family, with Patricia Heaton; single-cam

Patricia Heaton, Neil Flynn, Eden Sher, Atticus Shaffer, Charlie McDermott

Modern Family
PICKED UP
20th Century Fox
Steve Levitan, Chris Lloyd
Jason Winer 
Documentarian films three different families, with Ed O’Neill; single-cam
Ed O’Neill, Sofia Vergara, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Eric Stonestreet, Ty Burrell, Julie Bowen, Sarah Hyland, Rico Rodriguez, Nolan Gould, Ariel Winter
No Heroics
NOT PICKED UP
ABC Studios
Drew Pearce, Jeff Greenstein, Andrew Zein
Marc Buckland
B-list superheroes and their daily struggles
n/a
Pryors    
NOT PICKED UP
  
Warner Bros.
Tucker Cawley, Mike Clements, Tom Werner, Kelsey Grammer
n/a
Grammer stars as man who loses his fortune on Wall Street; multi-cam
n/a
Pulling   
NOT PICKED UP
  
ABC Studios
Stacy Traub, Francie Calfo, Sharon Horgan, Dennis Kelly, Rob Hanning, (w) Elliot Hegarty
n/a
Three women at the crossroads of their lives; single-cam
n/a
This Little Piggy
NOT PICKED UP
ABC Studios
Steven Cragg, Brian Bradley
n/a

Family man is forced to take in his younger siblings

n/a
Untitled Ricky Blitt Project
NOT PICKED UP
Warner Bros.
Ricky Blitt 
James Burrows

Thirtysomething guy torn between slacker BFF and new galpal; multi-cam

n/a
Untitled Anita Renfro Project
NOT PICKED UP
Sony
Rob Hanning, Amy Welsh, Mitch Hurwitz, Eric and Kim Tannenbaum
n/a
Family comes first in this parenting show; multi-cam
n/a
Untitled Jeff Strauss Project
NOT PICKED UP
ABC Studios
Jeff Strauss, Michael Hanel, Mindy Schultheis
n/a
Two couples and a divorced friend juggle parenthood and marriage; multi-cam
n/a
Untitled Tad Quill Project
NOT PICKED UP
ABC Studios
Tad Quill
Marc Buckland

Two couples – new parents vs. recent empty nesters; multi-cam

n/a
Alternative
TITLE
STUDIO
EXEC PRODUCERS      
DIRECTOR
LOGLINE
CAST
Shark Tank
PICKED UP
Sony Pictures TV
Mark Burnett
n/a
Budding entrepreneurs compete to convince a panel of millionaires to fund their business proposals
n/a

Several of next season's series hopefuls revolve around characters who have been hit by the recession -- while several more take on the nation's widening gap between haves and have nots.

That's just one of several trends emerging from this year's surprisingly hefty crop of pilot orders.

Read more about how the economic crisis is affecting trends this pilot season




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