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.


Drama
TITLE	STUDIO	EXEC PRODUCERS	DIRECTOR	LOGLINE	CAST
The Beautiful Life PICKED UP	CBS Paramount	Mike Kelley, Carol Barbee, Ashton Kutcher, Karey Burke	Christian Duguay	Ensemble following a group of models who live together in NYC	Sara Paxton, Benjamin Hollingsworth, Mischa Barton, Dusan Dukic, Elle Macpherson, Ashley Madekwe, Jordan Woolley, Corbin Bleu, Nico Tortorella
The Body Politic NOT PICKED UP	CBS Paramount	Jason Rothenberg, Bill Robinson, Peter Horton	Scott Winant	Presentation about a young woman who takes a job in D.C.	n/a
Untitled Gossip Girl Spinoff NOT PICKED UP	Warner Bros.	Stephanie Savage, Josh Schwartz, Bob Levy, Leslie Morgenstein	Mark Piznarski	1980s-set "Gossip Girl" spinoff centering on a young Lily van der Woodsen	n/a
Parental Discretion Advised PICKED UP	CBS TV Studios/Warner Bros. TV	Liz Tigelaar, Gary Fleder	Gary Fleder	A 15-year-old girl raised in foster care tracks down her aging frat-boy father	Britt Robertson, Kristoffer Polaha, Shiri Appleby, Kerr Smith
Melrose Place PICKED UP	CBS Paramount	Todd Slavkin, Darren Swimmer	Davis Guggenheim	The 1990s sudser gets a 21st century update	Shaun Sipos, Thomas Calabro, Katie Cassidy, Colin Egglesfield, Stephanie Jacobsen, Michael Rady, Jessica Lucas, Ashlee Simpson-Wentz
Vampire Diaries PICKED UP	Warner Bros.	Kevin Williamson, Julie Plec, Bob Levy, Leslie Morgenstein	Marcos Siega	Teenage girl becomes fascinated by a mysterious new student who is a centuries-old vampire	Elena Gilbert, Steven R. McQueen, Paul Wesley, Ian Somerhalder