And finally ABC is in the game!
The only network not to pick up a new series (and still the only network not to formally renew a single old series) jumped into the pre-upfronts excitement in a major way on Thursday afternoon, picking up six new dramas, several of which sound rather ambitious.
Before going into depth, the basics: On Thursday (May 7) afternoon, ABC ordered the Biblical epic “Of Kings and Prophets” and the Shonda Rhimes-produced “The Catch,” as well as “Wicked City” (formerly “L.A. Crime”), “The Family” (formerly Untitled Jenna Bans), “Quantico” and the Untitled Pate & Fishburne Project (formerly “Boom”).
ABC no doubt has plenty more new series pickups to do ahead of the network's Tuesday, May 12 upfront presentation.
Let's get to the details, because some of these new shows sound pretty interesting actually…
*** “Of Kings and Prophets” comes from creators Adam Cooper & Bill Collage and it is “An epic Biblical saga of faith, ambition and betrayal as told through the eyes of a battle-weary king, a powerful and resentful prophet and a resourceful young shepherd on a collision course with destiny.” Ray Winston plays King Saul, recent NatGeo Jesus Haaz Sleiman plays Jonathan, while the cast also includes Maisie Richardson-Sellers, Oliver Rix, Simone Kessell, James Floyd, Mohammad Bakri and Tomer Kapon. It's an ABC Studios production.
*** “The Catch” is ABC's obligatory new season from Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers of the wildly prolific Shondaland. Jennifer Schuur is the actual creator of the thriller, which focuses on fraud investigator (Mireille Enos) who becomes victim of fraud at the hands of her own fiancé. She's trying to track him down, while also solving weekly cases. Another ABC Studios production, “The Catch” co-stars Alimi Ballard, Damon Dayoub, Jay Hayden, Jacky Ido, Bethany Joy Lenz, Rose Rollins and Elvy Yost.
*** “The Family” comes from Jenna Bans and while Bans is a veteran of “Scandal,” “Grey's Anatomy” and “Off the Map,” this ABC Studios drama is not, in fact, a Shondaland production. Joan Allen stars as a politician whose life is shaken up when her son returns after being missing for 10 years. But is he who he says he is? “Scandal” pilot helmer Paul McGuigan directed “The Family” pilot, which also costars Alison Pill, Liam James, Margot Bingham, Zach Gilford, Floriana Lima, Madeline Arthur, Rupert Graves and Andrew McCarthy. That's a lot of familiar names, eh?
*** “Quantico” was created by former “Gossip Girl” showrunner Josh Safran and focuses on the new class of recruits at FBI Quantico Base. They're the best and the brightest, but one of them also may have masterminded a major terrorist attack. Another ABC Studios production, “Quantico” stars Priyanka Chopra, Dougray Scott, Jake McLaughlin, Aunjanue Ellis, Yasmine Al Massri, Johanna Braddy, Tate Ellington and Graham Rogers.
*** “Wicked City” was written by Steven Biagelman and is a murder mystery set in Los Angeles in 1982. The case goes against the backdrop of the Sunset Strip and the rock-and-roll scene and the cast features Adam Rothenberg, Ed “Chuck Bass” Westwick, Taissa Farmiga, Gabriel Luna, Karolina Wydra, Holley Fain, Darrell Britt-Gibson, Anne Winters and Erika Christensen. And yes, it's an ABC Studios Production.
*** Hailing from ABC Signature is the drama formerly known as “Boom” from Josh Pate and Rodes Fishburne. Another project with an interesting backdrop, this drama focuses on two young men who dream of moving to “The Bakken” in North Dakota to make their riches on the oil fields. They come up against a ruthless tycoon and bad things ensue. Don Johnson, Chace Crawford, Rebecca Rittenhouse, Delroy Lindo, Amber Valetta, Scott Michael Foster, India De Beaufort, Yani Gellman and Caitlin Carver star.
And guess what? Some big ABC comedy pickups are just minutes away…
Any of those look good?