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ABC Family has greenlit three pilots as a part of its strategy to strengthen the lineups on the cable network.
In its first order for the season, ABC Family has given the production greenlight to three pilots, it was announced today by Michael Riley, president, ABC Family. The network just concluded a record-breaking summer that included the debut of its new hit series “Pretty Little Liars” and “Melissa & Joey,” and the return of “The Secret Life of the American Teenager” and “Make It or Break It.” The pilots are scheduled to go into production this fall.
“ABC Family is coming off another summer of record ratings,” said Riley. “Adding depth to the network’s original programming slate is one of our biggest priorities going into next year. The network’s programming team, led by Kate Juergens, has done a brilliant job developing shows that have come to define ABC Family as a destination for quality original series.”
“We want to continue to concentrate on programming that speaks to our Millennial viewers,” said Kate Juergens, executive vice president, Original Programming & Development, ABC Family. “These pilots offer a great mix of heartfelt and compelling storytelling that our audience has come to expect from us.”
In the one-hour drama “Nine Lives,” Chloe King is looking forward to celebrating her 16th birthday with her friends and single mother, just like every other year… That is until she starts developing heightened abilities (super speed, agility, hearing…claws), and discovers she’s being pursued by a mysterious figure. Chloe soon learns she’s part of an ancient race who have been hunted by human assassins for millennia —and that she may be their only hope for ultimate survival. Dan Berendsen (“Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam,” “Sabrina the Teenage Witch,” “Hannah Montana: The Movie”) will
serve as executive producer and writer. Alloy Entertainment will produce, with Leslie Morgenstein (“Pretty Little Liars,” “Gossip Girl,” “The Vampire Diaries”) and Gina Girolamo serving as executive producers. The drama is based on the book series The Nine Lives of Chloe King by Celia Thomson.
Casting on the project is yet to be announced.
“Switched at Birth,” a one-hour scripted drama, tells the story of two teen girls who discover that they were accidentally switched at birth. Bay Kennish grew up in a wealthy family with two parents and two brothers, while Daphne Vasquez, who lost her hearing as a child due to a case of meningitis, grew up with a single mother in a poor neighborhood. Things come to a dramatic head when both families meet and struggle to learn how to live together for the sake of the girls. Lizzy Weiss (“Blue Crush”) will serve as executive producer and writer. Casting for the project is yet to be announced.
The greenlight of the third pilot, “Strut,” is cast-contingent. “Strut,” a one-hour scripted drama, revolves around a showgirl named Roxy who marries a stranger after a wild evening, and overnight finds herself living in a small town in Texas and reinventing the high school’s struggling drill team. Roxy uses her background as a dancer to connect with the group of high school outsiders, specifically awkward teen Meg. When Roxy takes it upon herself to shape them into a bona fide strutting team of performers, she turns the town upside down in the process. Lamar Damon serves
a writer; executive producers are Karey Burke (“The Beautiful Life,” “Miss Guided”), Charlie Stratton, Anna Mastro and Norman Buckley.
Powered by newcomers “Pretty Little Liars” and “Melissa and Joey,” returning fan favorites “The Secret Life of the American Teenager” and “Make It or Break It,” and high performing theatricals like “Toy Story 2” and films from the “Harry Potter” franchise, ABC Family delivered its largest summer audience on record in Prime in Total Viewers (1.4 million), Adults 18-34 (394,000), Adults 18-49 (673,000) and Viewers 12-34 (658,000) — and with all three key female targets — posting solid
gains over year-ago numbers across key categories. In fact this marked the 4th consecutive summer the network grew its audience in Total Viewers, Adults 18-34 and Adults 18-49, the 5th consecutive in Women 18-34 (279,000) and the 7th in a row in Females 12-34 (483,000).
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