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Lifetime Greenlights 2 New Scripted Series

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Monday February 7, 2011 @ 12:16pm PSTTags: Against the Wall, Against the Wall Pilot, Army Wives, Drop Dead Diva Season 3, Exit 19, Exit 19 Pilot, Lifetime, Lifetime Nancy Dubuc, Lifetime Pilot, Lifetime Programming, Nancy Dubuc, TV, TV Deals
Nellie Andreeva

EXCLUSIVE: Lifetime’s new president and general manager Nancy Dubuc is putting her stamp on the female-centered cable network with her first scripted series orders. Lifetime has picked up to series two female-driven cop dramas, Against the Wall and Exit 19, for a launch later this year.

The orders, both for 13 episodes, can’t come soon enough for Lifetime, which desperately needs more original scripted programming. It is down to two scripted series – veteran Army Wives, which was renewed for a fifth season, and dramedy Drop Dead Diva, which has been picked up for a third season. The last scripted series premieres on the network were in 2009 (Diva and the short-lived comedy Sherri). Because of Lifetime’s acquisition by A&E Networks, Lifetime held off on development from mid-2009, when the deal was announced, until May 1, 2010 when History president and general manager Nancy Dubuc took over as Lifetime’s new president and general manager. She dived into development, reading piles of scripts identified by Lifetime’s development team led by JoAnn Alfano. “Over the last several months, we have been working tirelessly on a new development slate of scripted dramas, nonfiction series and original movies at Lifetime,” Dubuc said stressing that “continuing our legacy of great scripted dramas is critical” to the network’s success. She cited the newly picked-up Against the Wall and Exit 19 as examples of the “high-quality auspices and great emotional storytelling you can expect from Lifetime in the future.”

Written by Annie Brunner, Against the Wall is a family drama set in Chicago following policewoman Abby Kowalski (Rachael Carpani), who causes a rift with her three cop brothers when she decides to join the department’s Internal Affairs division. Co-starring in the project, from Universal Cable Prods., are Treat Williams and Kathy Baker. Nancy Miller is exec producing with Brunner; Michael Fresco directed the pilot. This marks the second straight series order from a non-NBCU network for UCP, following the recent pickup by MTV of I Just Want My Pants Back. “UCP is really hitting its stride in producing for networks outside the NBCU family,” UCP co-head Jeff Wachtel said.

Exit 19, from Jeff Bell, follows single mother Gloria Shepherd (Ally Walker) as she juggles her demanding personal and professional lives raising two children while working as a New York Police Department homicide detective. The pilot hails from ABC Studios and CBS TV Studios, with Bell , Nina Wass and Gene Stein exec producing. Peter O’Fallon directed the pilot, his 9th pilot to go to series. This marks a happy ending for Exit 19, which was originally developed at CBS during the 2007-2008 season when it was ordered as a pilot presentation starring Geena Davis but didn’t make it to series.

Over the summer and fall of 2010, Lifetime ordered a total of 5 pilots. Four of them, Exit 19, Against the Wall, Meet Jane and the untitled Josh Berman project, were completed and submitted to Lifetime for consideration for this round of series orders. The fifth, the untitled Michael Sardo pilot, starring Carrie-Anne Moss, is yet to film.

Of the 4 that were delivered, the Josh Berman project is not going forward while Meet Jane remains in contention and may be retooled. At TCA last month, Dubuc said she planned to pick up 2 of the 4 completed pilots to series. In addition to doubling its scripted portfolio from 2 to 4 series this year, Lifetime also is launching a dozen new unscripted series this year, with the rollout beginning in February, along with 15 original films.

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TCA: Lifetime To Pick Up 2 New Drama Series As Part Of Originals Ramp-Up

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Friday January 7, 2011 @ 12:24pm PSTTags: Cable TV, JoAnn Alfano, Lifetime, Lifetime Pilot, Nancy Dubuc, TCA, Television Critics Association, TV

From Ray Richmond, who is contributing to Deadline Hollywood’s TCA Coverage:

Lifetime plans to double its on-air drama series output in 2011 from two to four, the network’s new president and GM Nancy Dubuc said this morning during the network’s portion of TCA. That includes the pickup to series of two of the network’s five pilots ordered last year (four of them have already been shot). Lifetime brass will make the decision on which two will go to series by February, the network’s EVP JoAnn Alfano said. The two new series will premiere by fourth quarter 2011, along with the returns of vets Army Wives and Drop Dead Diva. The network also is launching a dozen new unscripted series this year, with the rollout beginning in February, along with 15 original films. “We’re committed to expanding our original programming in a major way,” Alfano said. “This is only the beginning.” Here is a list of Lifetime’s upcoming reality series, Seriously Funny Kids, One Born Every Minute, Quad Squad and Glamour Belles, whose premiere dates were announced today: Read More »

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Carrie-Anne Moss To Star in Lifetime Pilot

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Tuesday December 14, 2010 @ 12:47pm PSTTags: Carrie-Anne Moss, Lifetime Pilot, Michael Sardo, TV, TV Deals
Nellie Andreeva

EXCLUSIVE: The Matrix star Carrie-Anne Moss has been tapped as the lead in Lifetime’s untitled Michael Sardo pilot. The project, from writer-executive producer Michael Sardo and Universal Cable Prods., centers on Ann Brown (Moss), New York’s premiere celebrity psychologist. With her … Read More »

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PILOT CASTINGS: Eliza Dushku Exits ‘Bird Dog’, Ricky Schroder Joins ‘Meet Jane’

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Monday December 6, 2010 @ 6:25pm PSTTags: Bird Dog, Bird Dog Casting, Eliza Dushku, Hound Dogs, Lifetime Pilot, Meet Jane, Meet Jane Casting, Molly Parker, Ricky Schroder, TBS Pilots, TNT Pilots, TV
Nellie Andreeva

That was quick: Eliza Dushku has pulled out of TNT’s drama pilot Bird Dog. I hear she exited the project over the weekend, several days after she closed a deal to star in the drama, a mystery fashioned around an unlikely partnership of a father-daughter cop duo.

Meanwhile, NYPD Blue and 24 alum Ricky Schroder has signed on to star opposite Molly Parker in the Lifetime pilot Meet Jane. The project, from Warner Horizon, centers on Jane Bilinski (Parker) whose stale life as an unhappily married mother of two daughters in the Washington, DC area is suddenly re-energized and empowered when the FBI enlists her to spy on her husband (Schroder), a computer technician the government suspects is selling top-secret information to Russia. Read More »

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CASTINGS ROUNDUP: Trio Join Cable Pilots

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Monday November 22, 2010 @ 6:00am PSTTags: ABC Family, ABC Family Pilots, Exit 19, Exit 19 Casting, Lifetime Pilot, Miguel Ferrer, Raven Symone, The Great State of Georgia Casting, The Great State of Georgia Pilot, The Lying Game, The Lying Game Pilot, TV, TV Deals
Nellie Andreeva

EXCLUSIVE: Majandra Delfino has landed the lead opposite Raven Symone in the ABC Family comedy pilot The Great State of Georgia, Andy Buckley has joined another ABC Family pilot, The Lying Game, while veteran Miguel Ferrer has been cast in the Lifetime pilot Exit 19.

… Read More »

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Molly Parker Set As Lead Of Lifetime Pilot

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Wednesday November 17, 2010 @ 7:33am PSTTags: Andi Bushell, Lifetime, Lifetime Pilot, Meet Jane, Meet Jane Casting, Molly Parker, TV, TV Deals, Warner Horizon
Nellie Andreeva

EXCLUSIVE: Meet Lifetime’s Jane: Deadwood alumna Molly Parker has landed the lead in the cable network’s drama pilot Meet Jane. The project, from Warner Horizon, centers on Jane Bilinski (Parker) whose stale life as an unhappily married mother of two … Read More »

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Two Join Ally Walker On Lifetime’s ‘Exit 19′

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Wednesday November 10, 2010 @ 4:02am PSTTags: Ally Walker, Cable TV, Exit 19, Exit 19 Casting, Exit 19 Pilot, Lifetime Exit 19, Lifetime Pilot, Tisha Campbell-Martin, TV
Nellie Andreeva

EXCLUSIVE: Tisha Campbell-Martin and Chris Payne Gilbert (10 Items or Less) are set as leads opposite Ally Walker in Lifetime’s drama pilot Exit 19. The project, from writer Jeff Bell, follows single mother Gloria Shepherd (Walker) as she juggles her demanding personal and professional lives raising two children while working as a New York Police Department homicide detective. Campbell-Martin Read More »

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Lifetime Greenlights ‘Meet Jane’ Pilot

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Thursday September 30, 2010 @ 2:18pm PDTTags: Andi Bushell, Lifetime, Lifetime Pilot, Mark Pedowitz, Meet Jane, TV, TV Deals
Nellie Andreeva

EXCLUSIVE: Lifetime has handed out a pilot order to Meet Jane, a drama from writer Andi Bushell and executive turned producer Mark Pedowitz. This is the first pilot order for Pedowitz, who segued into producing early this year with a … Read More »

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Treat Williams To Star In Lifetime Pilot

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Monday September 27, 2010 @ 2:01pm PDTTags: Against the Wall, Against the Wall Casting, Against the Wall Pilot, Cable TV, Lifetime Pilot, Rachael Carpani, TV
Nellie Andreeva

EXCLUSIVE: Treat Williams has been tapped to star opposite Rachael Carpani in Lifetime’s drama pilot Against the Wall. Written by Annie Brunner and to be directed by Dean Parisot, Against the Wall is a family drama set in Chicago following … Read More »

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TV Castings: Notable Actors Join 4 Projects

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Wednesday September 15, 2010 @ 11:47pm PDTTags: Alex Frnka, Burn Notice, HBO Hung, Hung Casting, Josh Berman Pilot, Josh Berman Pilot Casting, Lifetime Pilot, Lou Diamond Phillips, TV Casting
Nellie Andreeva

Some notable TV castings from the last couple of days:

– Lou Diamond Phillips has joined Lifetime’s untitled Josh Berman pilot. The project, from Sony TV, is a closed-ended drama set in San Diego, which centers on police detective Molly Collins (Sherry Stringfield), married mother of two on the verge of divorce, who, along with her partner Brooke Kross (Jamie-Lynn Sigler), investigate the city’s most high-profile crimes while navigating their divergent personal lives. Phillips, who most recently recurred on Stargate: Universe, will play their boss, a police lieutenant. Read More »

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Jamie-Lynn Sigler To Star in Lifetime Pilot; John Hawkes Joins FX’s ‘Outlaw Country’

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Tuesday August 24, 2010 @ 8:28am PDTTags: Cable TV, Fox TV Studios, John Hawkes, Josh Berman Pilot, Josh Berman Pilot Casting, Lifetime Pilot, Outlaw Country, Outlaw Country Casting, Outlaw Country Pilot, Sherry Stringfield, Sony Pictures TV
Nellie Andreeva

EXCLUSIVE: I hear The Sopranos alumna Jamie-Lynn Sigler has been tapped to star opposite Sherry Stringfield as the lead in Lifetime’s untitled Josh Berman pilot. In another key pilot casting, … Read More »

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Sherry Stringfield To Star In Lifetime Pilot

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Tuesday August 3, 2010 @ 4:07pm PDTTags: Against the Wall Pilot, Cable TV, Exit 19 Pilot, Josh Berman Pilot, Josh Berman Pilot Casting, Lifetime, Lifetime Pilot, Sony Pictures TV
Nellie Andreeva

EXCLUSIVE: ER alumna Sherry Stringfield is set as the lead in Lifetime’s untitled drama pilot from Drop Dead Diva creator/executive producer Josh Berman. The project, from Sony Pictures TV, … Read More »

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