Development season hots up for US networks

The US network development season is hotting up ahead of the Upfronts and LA Screenings as broadcasters, particularly NBC and CBS, greenlight a number of high profile pilots.

NBC has ordered pilots including Matthew Broderick-fronted Beach Lane and Perfect Couples, from the team behind Joey and 30 Rock, as well as scheduling a two-hour backdoor pilot for Muse Entertainment-produced Secrets of the Mountain.

Beach Lane, which stars Broderick as a celebrity author hired by a millionaire to run a small town newspaper, is produced by Universal Media Studios and Lorne Michael’s Broadway Video Television and written by Paul Simms.

Perfect Couples is a multi-camera comedy from 30 Rock’s Jon Pollack and Joey’s Scott Silveri and follows three couples at different stages in their relationships. It is also produced by Universal Media Studios.

Meanwhile, CBS has also ordered two new pilots including Reagan’s Law, a CBS Television Studios-produced drama about a family of New York cops, and an untitled medical drama produced by The West Wing’s John Wells and The Philanthropist’s Hannah Shakespeare for Warner Bros Television.

ABC has also greenlit It Takes A Village, a single camera comedy about a gay father raising a 15 year old boy. It was created by Greek’s David Windsor and Casey Johnson and is produced by The Mark Gordon Company and ABC Studios. 

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