ABC orders Four More Drama Pilots

The Astronaut Wives Club, from Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage’s Fake Empire and Michael London’s Groundswell Prods., was initially eyed as a potential limited series. Based on Lily Koppel’s best-selling novel published last summer, it was written by Savage in her first TV writing effort since co-creating Gossip Girl with Schwartz.  Set in the 1960s with a modern feel, The Astronaut Wives Club tells the real story of the women who stood beside some of the biggest heroes in American history during the height of the space race. Savage, Schwartz and Fake Empire’s president of television Len Goldstein executive produce with London. This is Fake Empire’s first pilot order under the company’s overall deal at ABC Studios.

The untitled Richard LaGravenese project is set in New York and revolves around the love and rivalry between two equally matched, powerful socialites who play out their obsessive attraction and seduction of each other through their manipulation of others. LaGravenese exec produces with Erwin Stoff, Ilene Staple and Wren Arthur.

 Agatha (fka untitled Tom Donaghy), from Mark Gordon Co., is a character-driven procedural about a former convict turned big city criminologist who is brought in to help local police crack a case involving a perplexing disappearance. The chief detective she’s been hired to help is her father – and they haven’t talked in fifteen years. Donaghy wrote the script and is executive producing with the Mark Gordon Co.’s Gordon and Nick Pepper as well as Michael McDonald, in his first pilot order as a producer after serving as head of drama for the studio. It’s been a good day for the Mark Gordon Co., which scored two pilot orders (Agatha at ABC and comedy Fifth Wheel at NBC) as well as a series order (USA comedy Benched) today. The company has another pilot order at ABC for a Dean Georgaris drama.

Warriors, from Keyser and Mandeville, follows the best and brightest of active duty military doctors and nurses as they practice trailblazing medicine on critically wounded warriors returning home from Afghanistan, on military families and veterans, as well as administering to Washington’s government elite. Stephen Baigelman, who was original writer on the project, is expected to stay on.

Source:

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