TV

Posted: Wed., Oct. 28, 2009, 8:00pm PT

Sleuthing magician casts spell on NBC

Fesman to write pilot; Jon Amiel to direct

NBC is conjuring a drama series revolving around a crime-solving magician.

Untitled project hails from Universal Media Studios, scribe Dan Fesman ("NCIS"), producer David Percelay and helmer Jon Amiel ("Entrapment"). Fesman is writing and will exec produce with Percelay and Amiel, who will direct if the project is picked up to pilot.

The concept centers on a master magician whose career is in ruins after he develops stage fright and agoraphobia; an elite law enforcement agency recruits him to take an unusual approach to cracking tough cases.

"It won't be as much of a whodunit as a 'how the hell do we catch him,' " Amiel told Daily Variety. Percelay approached Amiel with his one-line description of the project, which felt "totally in my wheelhouse," Amiel said. The two developed it together and then scouted for a writer.

Fesman got the gig because his work demonstrated "a light comic touch and experience with procedurals," Amiel said.

Amiel, who helmed this year's Toronto fest opener "Creation," has directed several pilots during the past few years, including Fox's "Reunion" and "Wedding Bells" and ABC's "Eyes." He's also done segs of Showtime's "The Tudors."


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