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Matlock is a mystery legal comedy-drama series created by Jennie Snyder Urman. Based on the 1980s iconic series of the same name created by Dean Hargrove, the CBS series follows the story of Madeline “Matty” Matlock, a brilliant lawyer who decides to rejoin the workforce in her 70s. She begins working in a prestigious law firm alongside a few highly competitive lawyers but soon we discover that Madeline is hiding some secrets that her colleagues don’t know. Matlock stars the always-brilliant Kathy Bates in the titular role with Jason Ritter, Skye P. Marshall, Leah Lewis, David Del Rio, Nicole de Boer, and Eme Ikwuakor starring in supporting roles. So, if you loved the interesting storyline, thrilling courtroom scenes, and compelling characters in the Matlock reboot series here are some similar shows you should check out next.

Suits...

One of the biggest TV shows in the history of entertainment, Seinfeld is still as famous as ever. Created and starring Jerry Seinfeld as a fictional character, it was the series’ witty writing and impeccable comedic timing that made it as popular as it is now. No less than a phenomenon, the series eventually inspired a bunch of lingo and even a curse.

Seinfeld

Coined after the extremely famous lead actors of the hit NBC show failed to have any successful shows following the end of Seinfeld, the Seinfeld curse is a term specifically used to refer to the feats of the three Seinfeld actors- Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jason Alexander, and Michael Richards following the end of the show. And among them all Louis-Dreyfus fought particularly hard to break it, only for her show to brutally crash.

When Julia Louis-Dreyfus Tried to Break the Seinfeld Curse Julia Louis-Dreyfus in Seinfeld

Julia...

During the early days of the 2007-08 writers strike, even after pens went down, many showrunners were still at work. They weren’t writing, but they were handling other aspects of production as cameras continued to roll on preexisting scripts. Eventually, they realized that showrunners might take themselves out of writing, but there’s no way to take writing out of showrunner duties.

“It’s obviously part of the storytelling process, because you need a showrunner to keep a sense of the overall story,” says one high-profile writer-producer. “Every decision you’re making, from a craft services

decision to a costume decision, is something only you can make because you’re putting it into a whole story. There’s no part of my job that isn’t storytelling.”

The studios disagree. As the current writers strike began, showrunners began receiving letters warning them that they must continue to provide services...

ABC placed five titles on the chopping block on Friday. Among the five were Kyra Sedgwick-starrer Call Your Mother and the Nicholas Pinnock-fronted legal drama For Life.

The two stars shared their reactions on social media Friday following the news.

Sedgwick broke the news that the sitcom, from Kari Lizer, will not return to ABC for a sophomore season on Twitter. In the same tweet, she thanked the series’ fan base and alerted them that the upcoming episode will be its last.

“You guys have been so wonderful to tune in every week, or every other week or every took weeks,” she said. “The rollout was nuts!”

Written and executive produced by The New Adventures of Old Christine creator Lizer, Call Your Mother centers on an empty-nester mom, Jean Raines (Sedgwick), who wonders how she ended up alone while her children live their best lives thousands of miles away.

“Call Your Mother,” starring Kyra Sedgwick, Rachel Sennott and Joey Bragg, will not get a sophomore season. ABC has pulled the plug on the multi-cam family sitcom, which debuted this past January. It was created and executive produced by Kari Lizer, who is best known for creating and executive producing “The New Adventures of Old Christine” for CBS.

Sedgwick made the announcement Friday on social media. “Before it goes out there in the world I want my fans to be the first to know that next Wednesday will be the last episode of ‘Call Your Mother,'” she wrote on Twitter. “You guys have been so wonderful to tune in every week, or every other week or every two weeks! The rollout was nuts!”

The show centers on Midwestern empty-nester Jean Raines (Sedgwick), who wonders how she ended up alone while her children live their best lives thousands of miles away in Los Angeles.

Kari Lizer’s multi-camera comedy Call Your Mother, headlined by Kyra Sedgwick, will not see a second season on ABC.

Written and executive produced by The New Adventures of Old Christine creator Lizer, Call Your Mother centers on an empty-nester mom, Jean Raines (Sedgwick), who wonders how she ended up alone while her children live their best lives thousands of miles away. She decides her place is with her family, and as she reinserts herself into their lives, her kids realize they might actually need her more than they thought.

In addition to Sedgwick, cast also includes Rachel Sennott, Joey Bragg, Patrick Brammall, Emma Caymares and Austin Crute.

Call Your Mother is produced by Sony Pictures Television & ABC Studios. ABC Studios is a part of Disney Television Studios, alongside 20th Century Fox Television and Fox 21 Television Studios.

Utopia has released the first trailer for “Shiva Baby,” an absurd Jewish comedy about a college student who runs into both her sugar daddy and her ex-girlfriend at a family funeral. “Shiva Baby” marks the feature directorial debut of writer/director Emma Seligman, who developed the feature from a short by the same name, which was her NYU thesis film. “Shiva Baby” premiered at the 2020 SXSW Film Festival to largely positive reviews, including by this critic, who wrote: “Bearing a likeness to the early work of Jill Soloway and Jennifer Westfeldt, “Shiva Baby” blends a claustrophobic Jewish humor with a sexy premise to deliver a lively debut.”

“Shiva Baby” follows chaotic bisexual Danielle (comedian Rachel Sennott), who arrives late to a Jewish funeral, also called a shiva, after a stressful morning trying to extract payment from her sugar daddy Max (Danny Deferrari). Polly Draper and Fred Melamed are pitch perfect as Danielle’s parents,...

In the fifth episode of Showtime’s “Your Honor,” Judge Michael Desiato (Bryan Cranston) finds his family dog unresponsive in his home and rushes him to the vet, telling them to do whatever they have to to save him. It is a moment of selflessness, serving to remind the audience that he has redeeming qualities, and is a good person at heart, despite the fact that for the last four episodes he has gone so far to cover up a hit-and-run his son committed that another teenager took the fall and his family has been destroyed because of it.

Despite the old adage of those in Hollywood avoiding working with children and animals because of the complications they add to productions, lately more and more television showrunners have been including canines as characters in their series. Some, such as the CW’s “In The Dark” and CBS’ “Seal Team,” rely...

Perhaps it’s because the present moment is so unsettled that “Call Your Mother,” ABC’s new sitcom from “The New Adventures of Old Christine” creator Kari Lizer, manages to feel in its pilot episode more comforting than it otherwise might. The series, about an overbearing mom (Kyra Sedgwick) barging in on the lives of her two children (Joey Bragg and Rachel Sennott), hits in its pilot episode — the only one made available to critics — notes that are alternately too familiar or jarring for the wrong reasons. The show has a pleasant warmth, but it seems to have too little of a sense about what within it works to find its footing.

Sedgwick’s Jean Raines, in the first episode’s early going, ditches Iowa in favor of Los Angeles as a way of dropping in on her son Freddie, who hasn’t picked up the phone for her in (gasp) four days.

Call Your Mother creator Kari Lizer shared that the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has impacted her new ABC sitcom, starring Kyra Sedgwick, in more ways than one.

Written and executive produced by the New Adventures Of Old Christine creator, the new ABC comedy takes place in a world that’s survived the fatal Covid-19 pandemic, which in reality continues to rage across parts of the country. The sitcom’s characters walk freely around without masks or the need to social distance in this post-Covid world – a setting that came out of a desire for some normalcy, Lizer said.

“Covid is part of the world, we just had the decision to start the series after we were all quarantined and in masks because frankly, we had enough of that,” Lizer said during the panel.

Revolving, around Sedgwick’s single, empty nester, who travels across the country to reinsert herself into her children...

Exclusive: Leon (The Temptations) is set for a recurring role opposite Kevin Bacon and Aldis Hodge on Season 2 of Showtime’s City On A Hill, currently in production. Created, written and executive produced by Chuck MacLean (Boston Strangler) and based on an original idea by Ben Affleck, City on a Hill is set in early 1990s Boston when the city was rife with violent criminals emboldened by local law enforcement agencies in which corruption and racism was the norm, until it suddenly all changed. The drama is a fictional account of what was called the “Boston Miracle.” Leon plays Reverend Isaiah Hughes, a spiritual adviser and activist with deep roots in his community. MacLean and Tom Fontana, who also serves as showrunner, executive produce with Jennifer Todd, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Michael Cuesta, Barry Levinson, Jorge Zamacona and consulting producer James Mangold. Bacon serves as co-executive producer. The role reunites Leon with Tom Fontana,...

Exclusive: Sherri Shepherd (Mr. Iglesias) is set to recur opposite Kyra Sedgwick in ABC’s Kari Lizer comedy series Call Your Mother.

Written and executive produced by The New Adventures of Old Christine creator Lizer, Call Your Mother centers on an empty-nester mom, Jean Raines (Sedgwick), who wonders how she ended up alone while her children live their best lives thousands of miles away. She decides her place is with her family, and as she reinserts herself into their lives, her kids realize they might actually need her more than they thought.

Shepherd will play Sharon, Jean’s salty and salt-of-the-earth best friend from Iowa. Left behind when Jean makes the move to be with her kids in Los Angeles, Sharon faithfully keeps their connection strong and doesn’t let Jean forget where she came from.

2020 ABC Pilots & Series Orders

The cast also includes Rachel Sennott as Jackie Raines, Joey Bragg as Freddie Raines,...

ABC today has given a 10-episode straight-to-series order to Rebel, its Katey Sagal-starring drama inspired by the life of activist Erin Brockovich. It hails from Brockovich, Grey’s Anatomy and Station 19 executive producer/showrunner Krista Vernoff, Davis Entertainment, Sony Pictures TV and ABC Signature. It will debut in 2021.

Rebel was one of five 2020 ABC pilots — all grounded by the coronavirus pandemic — that were selected by the network in June to shoot once production can resume safely. It joins two other projects from ABC’s 2020 pilot slate that have received straight-to-series orders for next this coming: David E. Kelley’s Big Sky, which already is filming in Vancouver, and Kari Lizer’s comedy Call Your Mother, which is also a Sony TV/ABC Signature co-production.

As a precursor to a straight-to-series order, ABC had commissioned a writers room for Rebel, which I hear has produced six scripts to date. The pickup...

ABC has made a range of decisions on its remaining pilots this season, which were all shutdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Firstly, the network is scrapping its pilots for the dramas “The Brides” and “Thirtysomething(else)” and the comedy “Valley Trash.” The news is surprising for “The Brides” — a female-led vampire soap opera with “Riverdale’s” Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa writing — and “Thirtysometing(else) — a sequel series to the classic dramedy “Thirtysomething” with the original creators and multiple original cast members returnin. Both shows were pegged as early frontrunners for series pickups prior to the pandemic. According to sources, both shows were on the pricier side to produce, which may have contributed to ABC cutting them loose.

Elsewhere on the slate, ABC will be picking up actor options with intent to shoot the following pilots once production can safely begin: drama “Rebel” starring Katey Sagal and based on the life of Erin Brockovich; “Harlem’s Kitchen,...

ABC intends to shoot five pilots once production can safely resume and is rolling three projects to its next pilot cycle.

The network is picking up the cast options for the five projects that it has committed to producing this year through to September 30.

This includes dramas Rebel, starring Katey Sagal and Andy Garcia and Delroy Lindo’s Harlem’s Kitchen, as well as comedies Bossy, which was formerly known as Kids Matter Now, Topher Grace’s Home Economics and Work Wife.

Rolled over into its ‘second cycle’ development are Adopted, National Parks Service, which was formerly known as Isb and Triage.

That leaves Prospect, Wreckage and the Untitled Kapnek/Holland Project, which was formerly known as Wild Child.

This comes as it has also decided not to move forward with the reboot of Thirtysomething, Valley Trash and Brides.

Last month, it picked up two new projects, straight-to-series, David E. Kelley...

Like virtually all aspects of the entertainment industry, the volume of broadcast series orders took a massive hit this year as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The pandemic shut down the traditional pilot season, with almost no pilots completing production. But now with the broadcast networks making their series orders for the 2020-2021 season, the true impact is taking shape.

At the time of publication, 15 new shows have been picked up for next season across the five networks. That represents a dropoff of 58% from the 36 new shows ordered in 2019 and 2018.

The number of new broadcast show orders has been trending downward for some time, but a drop of this magnitude is staggering. And as has been tradition for the past several years, major stars and well-known IP drove the majority of pickups.

Along with this drop in series orders comes changes to the fall schedule as well. NBC, CBS,...

Just one day after announcing its fall schedule, ABC is already making changes to its Wednesday night lineup.

“Black-ish” has been moved back up for a fall premiere, taking the place of the new Kari Lizer comedy “Call Your Mother.” “Black-ish” will now air at 8:30 p.m. following “The Goldbergs,” with “American Housewife” moving to 9:30 p.m. “The Conners” and “Stumptown” remain at 9 and 10 p.m., respectively. See the full schedule below.

In a statement announcing the change, ABC Entertainment president Karey Burke alluded to the renewed Black Lives Matter protests across the country in recent weeks, saying that adding “black-ish” back to the fall lineup is an effort to speak to the current moment.

Also Read: ABC Boss Karey Burke on Network's Fall Schedule and the Possibility of a Virtual Emmys

“‘black-ish’ has a long-standing history of shining a light on current events and honoring Black voices...

A day after unveiling its "fall" schedule, ABC is making a change.

The network has opted to move Black-ish back to its traditional fall launch and bump Kari Lizer's rookie comedy Call Your Mother to midseason.

"Black-ish has a long-standing history of shining a light on current events and honoring Black voices through the lens of the Johnson family,” said ABC Entertainment president Karey Burke. “After speaking with Kenya [Barris] and our creative partners, we decided it was important to tell these meaningful stories during this moment in time, so we are adjusting our premiere schedule ...

The 2020-21 television season is shaping up to be unprecedented.

Normally at this time of year, approximately three dozen new scripted shows have been announced across the Big Five broadcast networks, but this year as of press time there are only 13. Pilot production orders were already down this year, but the production shutdown prompted by the coronavirus pandemic caused series orders to shrink further. While there are still shows in contention to be picked up, developed further or rolled over into next year’s cycle, the few series that did make the cut already are showing an overall increase in representation for women and people of color, both in front of the camera in leading roles, as well as behind-the-scenes as executive producers — with the exception of those on ABC and Fox: Those networks have made strides for women but have no people of color in executive producer roles,...

The 2020 broadcast pilot season was decimated by the coronavirus pandemic, with all but one pilot unable to be produced. In the face of unprecedented disruption, the networks started veering toward the streaming model with backup scripts and straight-to-series orders.

After the traditional pilot cycle was broken by Covid-19, ABC Entertainment President Karey Burke does not think we will ever see another regular broadcast pilot season.

“I really hope not,” she told Deadline while discussing the network’s 2020-21 schedule. “I hope that one of the silver linings of this is that we have left that behind us and that we are — whether willingly or by sheer force of nature — moving into a more of a year-round pilot production schedule. I think it’s better for all faucets of the business.”

ABC already had been ramping up its efforts to move its development process off-cycle, branding it a “second cycle,” before...

ABC is the fifth and final broadcast network to announce its fall plans, and it's a relatively stable schedule.

Instead of bringing in pandemic-proof programming like Fox and The CW, the network is following the lead set by CBS and NBC and will air bring back original content in the fall.

That's not to say there will be no changes, however.

The Bachelorette, which was set to launch in May, has officially been bumped to the fall, meaning that ABC thinks it will be able to complete production in the next few months.

It will air on Tuesdays this time, for two hours each week, leading into the Katheryn Winnick-fronted The Big Sky.

This move also means that the Tuesday comedy line-up has been pulled, and forcing The Conners to a new night.

It is inheriting the slot previously held by Modern Family on Wednesdays, and will lead-in to...

ABC unveiled its fall schedule on Tuesday, formally setting Clare Crawley’s season of “The Bachelorette” for the fall and slotting in new shows like “Big Sky” and “Call Your Mother.”

This season of “The Bachelorette” was delayed past its usual summer run due to Covid-19 but will get a run on Tuesday nights. It will be followed by the David E. Kelly thriller “Big Sky,” which was ordered to series earlier this year.

Elsewhere on the schedule, Kari Lizer’s new comedy “Call Your Mother” will air on Wednesday nights at 9:30, capping off a two-hour comedy block of “The Goldbergs,” “American Housewife” and “The Conners.” “Stumptown” will remain in its Wednesday at 10 p.m. timeslot from last season.

Also Read: Here's the Fall 2020 TV Schedule for Broadcast Networks - So Far

Leslie Jones’ reboot of “Supermarket Sweep” will make its debut on Sunday nights at 8 p.m., leading...

ABC released its fall lineup on Tuesday, with the broadcaster planning to be back to business as usual despite the production shutdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Guidelines were recently issued on how shows can resume production despite the pandemic, though the vast majority of productions have not started up again yet.

“We wanted to honor the current environment and be thoughtful, which is why we waited until this moment when we have more confidence in our ability to return scripted programming in the fall,” ABC Entertainment president Karey Burke tells Variety.

Burke did acknowledge the chance that the schedule as it currently exists may not happen in a normal time frame, however. “We hope it’s a fall schedule,” she says. “We’re calling it our premiere schedule.”

ABC’s schedule remains largely unchanged with a few notable exceptions. First and foremost, Season 16 of “The Bachelorette” featuring Clare Crawley...

ABC is joining CBS and NBC in unveiling a “regular” fall 2020 schedule with a lineup featuring new and returning series that are yet to be filmed when production could resume following months of Covid-19-related shutdown.

Like CBS and NBC, ABC is being conservative with few scheduling changes. Still, they are the biggest we have seen for a traditional fall schedule this year.

ABC has the most new series laughing in the fall, David E. Kelley’s drama Big Sky, Kari Lizer’s comedy Call Your Mother and the Supermarket Sweep reboot starring Leslie Jones.

The scheduling moves include the relocation of Tuesday 8 Pm anchor The Conners to Wednesday to take over the 9 Pm tentpole position vacated by Modern Family.

ABC is going from three comedy blocks and 10 half-hour series on the fall 2019 schedule to one block and four comedies next fall, with black-ish held for midseason for the first time,...

The traditional broadcast pilot season took a major hit as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic with only one pilot, CBS’ B Positive, completed before production shutdown.

ABC was among the networks that decided to go straight-to-series on a couple of projects with the Disney-owned network ordering David E. Kelley drama Big Sky and Kari Lizer’s multi-camera comedy Call Your Mother.

ABC Entertainment President Karey Burke, speaking at Disney’s Virtual Roadshow, lifted the lid on how the pandemic impacted pilot season and its returning shows, revealed that it will move into production on some of its shutdown pilots and discussed the “silver lining” lessons that the network will apply going forward.

“The pandemic disrupted the traditional pilot season in a way that we couldn’t have predicted but we were very well prepared,” she said.

Call Your Mother, a Sony Pictures TV/ABC Studios-produced comedy starring Kyra Sedgwick...

The 2020 pilot season has remained unfinished business, with pilots ordered but not filmed. And yet, under most extraordinary circumstances, amid a global pandemic that has upended the lives of millions and thrown most industries, including Hollywood, into chaos, it was almost business as usual in the month of May, with three of the five broadcast networks picking up new series out of the pool of pilot orders.

Only one of the pickups was based on an actual pilot, CBS’ comedy B Positive, the only completed 2020 broadcast pilot. The rest were straight-to-series orders based on two or more scripts and creative auspices.

Facing expensive decisions — a high-end drama series order could be in the $50 million-$80 million range — the networks have taken steps to minimize the risk by going with projects that are based on well-known IP, come from creators/producers with a strong track record, have a big-name star or a big commitment,...

For the past couple of years, ABC has had the largest comedy contingent on the schedule with three blocks, 8-10 Pm on Tuesday and Wednesday and 8-9 Pm on Friday, for a 10 half-hour series total.

That will likely no longer be the case next season. Of the 10 comedy series that aired on ABC this past season, five will not be coming back. Veterans Modern Family and Fresh Off the Boat ended their runs, while sophomores Single Parents, Bless This Mess and Schooled were canceled yesterday.

Headed to the 2020-21 schedule are returning series The Conners, The Goldbergs, black-ish, and spinoff mixed-ish, and American Housewife, joined by the newly picked up straight-to-series Kari Lizer comedy Call Your Mother.

I hear one of ABC brass’ explanations for the comedy cancellations has been that the network will go down in comedy hours, possibly down to a single comedy block. While the pullback may not be that drastic, it is safe to assume that on ABC’s “return” schedule — whether it’s fall, late fall or winer, depending when Hollywood production will be able to resume — there will be the network’s signature Wednesday 8-10 Pm comedy block, sans longtime 9 Pm anchor Modern Family. Beyond that, the network may keep an hourlong block on Tuesday or Friday.

While this is retreat from where ABC has been the last few seasons, the network’s 2020-21 comedy roster is in line with the other networks.

CBS has had six half-hour comedies on the schedule in the last couple of seasons and is doing the same \next season.

NBC, which is yet to give series orders on any of its pilots and to decide the fate of a couple of remaining bubble series, has five comedies — two returning and three new ones — on tap for next season. Fox, which has been shifting its comedy business to animation, has one returning live-action comedy series and is likely to pick up at least one new one from its pool of pilots, along with seven animated series.

In their comedy renewal decisions, ABC brass went for the strongest performers and those that made the most financial sense. The live-action network comedy business has been increasingly challenging, with the off-network syndication marker a shadow of its old self and only selected few broadcast comedies having what it takes to become a strong streaming draw and score a digital revenue windfall.

While scaling back significantly on comedies, ABC renewed the same number of drama series as last year. I hear some of the extra hours vacated by sitcoms could go to alternative programming.

ABC is expected to unveil a 2020-21 schedule in mid-June.

ABC made an exciting announcement Thursday:

It has renewed 13 shows!

Stumptown, The Rookie, mixed-ish, black-ish, The Conners, American Housewife, The Goldbergs, A Million Little Things, The Bachelor, Dancing with the Stars, Shark Tank 20/20, and Who Wants To Be A Millionaire will be back during the 2020-21 TV season.

"At a time when we are physically apart and shared experiences matter more than ever, these shows will build on the strategy that has made us No. 1 this season - bringing people together, creating cultural moments, and making content that entertains and inspires across generations and demographics," said Karey Burke, president, ABC Entertainment.

"Our top priority now is to work with our studio partners to ensure a safe return to production so that we can build on the strong momentum of a winning lineup with measured bets on new series that will invigorate our air and continue to deliver the quality programming...

A new drama and a new comedy are coming to ABC in the coming months.  The network just announced that it has picked up The Big Sky, a drama by David E. Kelley, and Call Your Mother, a comedy from Kari Lizer.  The Big Sky is a mystery thriller about two private detectives Cassie Dewell and Cody Hoyt teaming up with ex-cop Jenny Hoyt (who also happens to be Cody's estranged wife) to search for two sisters who have been kidnapped by a truck driver. They discover that the sisters are not the only girls who have disappeared in the area, and it become a race against the clock.  Katheryn Winnick stars as Jenny Hoyt, with Kylie Bunbury as Cassie Dewell, and Ryan Phillippe as Cody Hoyt, with Brian...

ABC today made the bulk of their renewal decisions, picking up 13 more current series, eight of them scripted, for next season and canceling five, including scripted entries Emergence, Bless This Mess, Single Parents and Schooled. That left midseason freshmen For Life and The Baker and the Beauty, whose fate is yet to be determined.

Following a modest ratings start, legal drama For Life developed a following, and its prospect have been boosted by solid digital viewership despite soft linear numbers. Additionally, the network brass also are said to like the series’ star Nicholas Pinnock and believe in the show’s potential.

‘Schooled’, ‘Bless This Mess, ‘Single Parents’, ‘Emergence’ & ‘Kids Say The Darndest Things’ Canceled By ABC

The Baker and the Beauty is still airing, and ABC will likely wait for the romantic comedy-drama to finish its run before making a decision. Tipped as comfort-food fare that could be a good programming fit during the pandemic,...

ABC has made its first official new scripted series selections for the 2020-21 season, handing straight-to-series orders to David E. Kelley’s drama Big Sky, starring Kylie Bunbury, and Kari Lizer’s multi-camera comedy Call Your Mother (fka My Village), headlined by Kyra Sedgwick.

They will join 11 returning ABC scripted series, which have been renewed for next season, including eight picked up today, as well as the previously announced Supermarket Sweep series reboot with Leslie Jones, which also will debut next season.

2020 ABC Pilots & Series Orders

“At a time when we are physically apart and shared experiences matter more than ever, these shows will build on the strategy that has made us No. 1 this season – bringing people together, creating cultural moments, and making content that entertains and inspires across generations and demographics,” said ABC Entertainment President Karey Burke, referring to ABC’s No.1 finish for the 2019-20 season with entertainment programming, excluding sports.

Big Sky (fka.The Big Sky) had a series commitment/ order from the get-go, though it was formally contingent on ABC seeing a pilot, while Call Your Mother had a pilot order. Big Sky, from A+E Studios and 20th Century Fox TV, already had a writers room working on additional scripts, while Call Your Mother, from Sony Pictures TV and ABC Studios, had received an order from the network for 2 backup scripts.

‘For Life’ & ‘The Baker and the Beauty’ Remain On the Bubble As ABC Makes Renewal & Cancellation Decisions

The remaining ABC pilots, including high-profile dramas Rebel, starring Katey Sagal, and thirtysomething sequel thirtysomething(else), both of which also had opened writers rooms, remain in contention. I hear some will be piloted later, when Hollywood production is safe to resume, and there is a chance that some will go straight-to-series like The Big Sky and Call Your Mother.

Disney TV Studios, whose divisions 20th Century Fox TV and ABC Studios produce or co-produce all ABC pilots, is in the process of extending the options of the casts of all outstanding pilots through Sept. 30, I hear. As Deadline reported earlier this month, Disney TV Studios is among the studios that started paying the actors on their pilots, which allows the studio to amend cast deals and extend options.

‘Schooled’, ‘Bless This Mess, ‘Single Parents’, ‘Emergence’ & ‘Kids Say The Darndest Things’ Canceled By ABC

As the coronavirus pandemic completely upended the 2020 pilot season, with all pilots grounded before most had started production, the networks ordered backup scripts for their pilots to give them a better sense of projects’ potential and help them make straight-to-series decisions. All nets originally commissioned one backup script, with ABC subsequently ordering a second for all of their pilots.

Besides the three projects with writers rooms and Call Your Mother, among those that had been garnering very early buzz were drama Harlem’s Kitchen and comedy Home Economics.

This marks a second series order for the industrious Kelley today; Netflix this morning announced his new anthology Anatomy of a Scandal.

Written and executive produced by The Practice creator in his return to ABC, Big Sky is based on The Highway, the first book in C.J. Box’s Cassie Dewell series of novels. In the procedural thriller, private detective Cassie Dewell (Bunbury) partners with ex-cop Jenny Hoyt (Katheryn Winnick) on a search for two sisters who have been kidnapped by a truck driver on a remote highway in Montana. When they discover that these are not the only girls who have disappeared in the area, they must race against the clock to stop the killer before another woman is taken.

Written and executive produced by The New Adventures Of Old Christine creator Lizer, Call Your Mother revolves around an empty-nester mom, Jean Raines (Sedgwick), who wonders how she ended up alone while her children live their best lives thousands of miles away. She decides her place is with her family and as she reinserts herself into their lives, her kids realize they might actually need her more than they thought.

Here are more details about the newly picked up series:

Big Sky

From visionary storyteller David E. Kelley (Big Little Lies) comes Big Sky, a thriller created by Kelley, who will write multiple episodes and serve as showrunner in its premiere season. Private detectives Cassie Dewell and Cody Hoyt join forces with his estranged wife and ex-cop, Jenny Hoyt, to search for two sisters who have been kidnapped by a truck driver on a remote highway in Montana. But when they discover that these are not the only girls who have disappeared in the area, they must race against the clock to stop the killer before another woman is taken. Based on the series of books by C.J. Box, Big Sky is executive produced by David E. Kelley, Ross Fineman, Matthew Gross, Paul McGuigan and C.J. Box and is produced by A+E Studios in association with 20th Century Fox Television. A+E Studios is the studio unit of the global media company A+E Networks. 20th Century Fox Television is a part of Disney Television Studios, alongside ABC Studios and Fox 21 Television Studios.

Cast: Katheryn Winnick as Jenny Hoyt, Kylie Bunbury as Cassie Dewell, Brian Geraghty as Ronald Pergman, Dedee Pfeiffer as Denise Brisbane, Natalie Alyn Lind as Danielle Sullivan, Jesse James Keitel as Jerrie, with John Carroll Lynch as Rick Legarski and Ryan Phillippe as Cody Hoyt.

Call Your Mother

From Kari Lizer (The New Adventures of Old Christine), this multicamera comedy follows an empty-nester mom who wonders how she ended up alone while her children live their best lives thousands of miles away. She decides her place is with her family and as she reinserts herself into their lives, her kids realize they might actually need her more than they thought. Call Your Mother is produced by Sony Pictures Television & ABC Studios. ABC Studios is a part of Disney Television Studios, alongside 20th Century Fox Television and Fox 21 Television Studios.

Cast: Kyra Sedgwick as Jean Raines, Rachel Sennott as Jackie Raines, Joey Bragg as Freddie Raines, Patrick Brammall as Danny, Emma Caymares as Celia and Austin Crute as Lane.

ABC has canceled freshman drama Emergence and sophomore comedies Bless This Mess, Single Parents and Schooled as well as the new Kids Say The Darndest Things revival with Tiffany Haddish.

This cancelations are part of a big round of renewal decisions at the Disney-owned network today, which included the pickup of 13 current series for its 2020-21 slate.

While the cancellation of Emergence was considered likely, bubble comedies Single Parents, Bless This Mess and The Goldbergs’ spinoff Schooled all getting the axe was surprising, especially given the auspices involved. Two other ABC bubble shows, freshmen For Life and The Baker and the Beauty, remain in limbo.

The coronavirus pandemic grounding Hollywood production and throwing the 2020 pilot season into chaos was expected to benefit bubble series. While ABC has only ordered two new shows straight-to-series, Big Sky, from David E. Kelley and Call Your Mother, from Kari Lizer, the network, possibly encouraged...

ABC has renewed 13 more series for 2020-21, eight of them scripted, including freshmen Stumptown and mixed-ish.

The broadcast network has picked up American Housewife, black-ish, The Conners, The Goldbergs, A Million Little Things, mixed-ish, The Rookie, Stumptown; reality stalwarts The Bachelor, Dancing with the Stars and Shark Tank; as well as the Who Wants to Be a Millionaire revival and newsmagazine 20/20.

They join previously renewed flagship Grey’s Anatomy, which is in the middle of a two-season pickup, spinoff Station 19, The Good Doctor, American Idol, America’s Funniest Home Videos, as well as newly picked up scripted series Big Sky, from David E. Kelley, and Kari Lizer’s Call Your Mother and the recently ordered Supermarket Sweep reboot. This takes it to a total of 22 shows confirmed for the upcoming season.

Freshmen For Life and The Baker and the Beauty remain on the bubble, while Emergence, Single Parents, Schooled, Bless This Mess...

ABC unveiled its programming slate for the 2020-21 season on Thursday, with at least five existing shows not returning next season.

Single-camera comedies “Bless This Mess,” “Schooled” and “Single Parents,” the genre thriller “Emergence” and the network’s reboot of “Kids Say the Darndest Things” have all been canceled by the network. The two other series not included in the slate — “Baker and the Beauty” and “For Life” — premiered later in the spring and are still awaiting decisions from the network.

“Bless This Mess,” “Schooled” and “Single Parents” all ran for two seasons on the network, while “Emergence” and “Kids Say” had each just completed their first.

Also Read: Here's the Fall 2020 TV Schedule for Broadcast Networks - So Far

All of the broadcast networks are having to adjust their decision-making this upfront season after the coronavirus pandemic derailed pilot season and left the timeline on returning to production up in the air.

ABC announced its new and returning shows for the 2020-2021 season on Thursday.

First up, the network announced renewals for the following shows: “American Housewife,” “The Bachelor,” “Black-ish,” “The Conners,” “Dancing with the Stars,” “The Goldbergs,” “A Million Little Things,” “Mixed-ish,” “The Rookie,” “Shark Tank,” “Stumptown,” “20/20” and “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.”

Those shows join previously announced renewals for “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Station 19,” “The Good Doctor,” “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” “American Idol,” and “The Bachelorette.” ABC had also previously announced a series order for a revival of “Supermarket Sweep” hosted by Leslie Jones as well as its summer game show slate.

The drama series “Emergence” and comedies “Schooled,” “Bless this Mess,” and “Single Parents” have all been canceled, along with the Tiffany Hadish-hosted revival of “Kids Say the Darndest Things.” The fate of freshman drama “For Life” will be determined at a later date as will that of...

It’s pilot season — when broadcast networks decide which of dozens of prospective shows should become full-fledged series.

TheWrap’s complete network pilot guide will keep you up to speed on the status of every project under consideration by ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC. In cases where they’ve already ordered a show to series, we’ll say so.

Check back often for regular updates.

ABC: Comedy / Drama

CBS: Comedy / Drama

The CW: Drama

Fox: Comedy / Drama

NBC: Comedy / Drama

ABC Comedy

Adopted

Writer(s): Jimmy Kimmel, Shawn Vance, Daril Fannin

Producer(s): Jimmy Kimmel, Shawn Vance, Daril Fannin

Studio: ABC Studios in association with Kimmelot

Logline: When a Green Beret returns home to Texas from military service, he and his family struggle with the challenges of adopting his new brother, a 12-year-old Russian boy. Inspired by a true story. (Single Camera)

Home Economics

Writer(s): Michael Colton,...

Rachel Sennott (Shiva Baby), Joey Bragg (Father of the Year), Emma Caymares (Fosse/Verdon) and Austin Crute (Daybreak) are set as series regulars opposite Kyra Sedgwick in My Village, ABC’s multi-camera comedy pilot from The New Adventures of Old Christine creator Kari Lizer, Sony Pictures TV and ABC Studios. Veteran multi-camera comedy director Pam Fryman has been tapped to direct the pilot.

Written and executive produced by Lizer, My Village revolves around an empty-nester mom, Jean Raines (Sedgwick), who wonders how she ended up alone while her children live their best lives thousands of miles away. She decides her place is with her family and as she reinserts herself into their lives, her kids realize they might actually need her more than they thought.

Sennott will play Jackie, Jean’s oldest child. She’s bright, wry and sarcastic, using her wit in place of emotions. She keeps her feelings buttoned up.

With pilot season well underway, several beloved TV stars are lining up their small screen returns.

Kylie Bunbury, who blew fans away with her performance on Pitch, has lined up a lead role on ABC's The Big Sky, starring oppossite Vikings' alum Katheryn Winnick.

This show has a straight-to-series order at ABC.

The Big Sky centers on a private detective named Cassie Dewell and ex-cop Jenny Hoyt (Winnick), who join forces to search for two sisters that were kidnapped by a truck driver on a remote highway in Montana.

“But when they discover that these are not the only girls who have disappeared in the area,” the official logline reads, “they must race against the clock to stop the killer before another woman is taken.”

Ryan Phillippe, John Carroll Lynch, and Dedee Pfeiffer are also a part of the expansive cast.

Bunbury's Cassie is an ex-rodeo rider who sets her...

After lengthy negotiations, Emmy winner Kyra Sedgwick has signed on to play the lead in My Village, ABC’s multi-camera comedy pilot from The New Adventures of Old Christine creator Kari Lizer, Sony Pictures TV and ABC Studios.

Written and executive produced by Lizer, My Village revolves around an empty-nester mom, Jean Raines (Sedgwick), who wonders how she ended up alone while her children live their best lives thousands of miles away. She decides her place is with her family and as she reinserts herself into their lives, her kids realize they might actually need her more than they thought.

Sedgwick’s Jean Raines is earthy, unfiltered, emotional. Born and raised in Iowa, she is practical and can’t be bothered with sugar coating. Very comfortable in her own skin, Jean is not a natural fit in the Los Angeles culture of anti-aging remedies and butt implants. She is a person that people confide in,...

Closer vet Kyra Sedgwick has sealed a deal that could bring her back to the small screen on a weekly basis.

The Emmy winner has been tapped to star in My Village, a multi-cam sitcom pilot for ABC that centers on an empty-nester mom (played by Sedgwick) who wonders how she ended up alone while her children live their best lives thousands of miles away. She decides her place is with her family and, as she reinserts herself into their lives, her kids realize they might actually need her more than they thought.

More from TVLineA Million Little Things' David Giuntoli...

Kyra Sedgwick is set to star in the ABC multi-camera comedy “My Village,” Variety has learned.

In the show, empty-nester mom Jean Raines (Sedgwick) wonders how she ended up alone while her children live their best lives thousands of miles away. She decides her place is with her family and as she reinserts herself into their lives, her kids realize they might actually need her more than they thought.

Jean is further described as earthy, unfiltered, and emotional. Born and raised in Iowa, she is practical and can’t be bothered with sugar coating. Very comfortable in her own skin, Jean is not a natural fit in the Los Angeles culture of anti-aging remedies and butt implants. She is a person that people confide in, except sometimes her own children. She is a fierce defender of her family and will stop at nothing to protect her connection to them. The...

Kyra Sedgwick is returning to ABC, this time as the star of a comedy.

The star of TNT's The Closer and ABC's Ten Days in the Valley will lead the cast of My Village, a multicamera pilot from New Adventures of Old Christine creator Kari Lizer. Sedgwick will play a Midwestern empty-nester who moves to Los Angeles and re-inserts herself into the lives of her adult children.

Sedgwick's Jean Raines is earthy, unfiltered and emotional. Born and raised in Iowa, she is practical and can’t be bothered with sugar coating. Very comfortable in her own skin, Jean is not a ...

ABC has given a pilot order to My Village, a multi-camera comedy from The New Adventures of Old Christine creator Kari Lizer, Sony Pictures TV and ABC Studios.

Written and executive produced by Lizer, My Village revolves around an empty-nester mom who wonders how she ended up alone while her children live their best lives thousands of miles away. She decides her place is with her family and as she reinserts herself into their lives, her kids realize they might actually need her more than they thought.

My Village, which had a production commitment, marked the first sale for Lizer under the significant multi-year overall deal she signed with Sony Pictures TV last year. The pilot will be a co-production of Sony Pictures TV and ABC Studios.

2020 ABC Pilots & Series Orders

In addition to CBS’ New Adventures of Old Christine, which ran for five seasons and earned star Julia Louis-Dreyfus an Emmy,...

ABC has picked up the multi-cam comedy pilot “My Village” from Kari Lizer.

The project follows an empty-nester mom who wonders how she ended up alone while her children live their best lives thousands of miles away. She decides her place is with her family and as she reinserts herself into their lives, her kids realize they might actually need her more than they thought.

Lizer is writing and executive producing the pilot. Sony Pictures Television and ABC Studios will produce, with Lizer currently under an overall deal at Sony.

Lizer previously created the hit CBS multi-cam “The New Adventures of Old Christine” starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus. The show ran for five seasons between 2006 and 2010. It received eight Emmy nominations during its run, with Louis-Dreyfus picking up a win for best actress in a comedy series in 2006. Lizer’s other TV credits include the original run of “Will & Grace,” for...

It’s January, and the broadcast pilot season is kicking into high gear with pilot orders. As has been the case every year for the past 5-6 years, scripts are late, delaying pickups much to the chagrin of network executives who want to get their pilots up and running early to allow more time for casting in a very competitive marketplace.

The number of broadcast pilots slipped in 2019, and the trend may continue this year as the networks get more patient in sticking with modestly rated existing series because launching a new series involves big marketing costs but often results in similar ratings.

There is another factor this year — a concerted effort by the networks, particularly ABC and Fox, to move away from the traditional pilot season and order pilots off-cycle, or as ABC calls it, “second cycle.”

“Shows need time; we’re going to take a couple, take time and do a second cycle,...

ABC has given a pilot order to Prospect, a single-camera comedy from I Hate My Teenage Daughter creators Sherry Bilsing-Graham and Ellen Kreamer; prolific director-producer Randall Einhorn; and ABC Studios, where Einhorn is under an overall deal.

This is the first in-cycle comedy pilot by ABC this season. Also heating up for a pickup is Kari Lizer’s comedy script The Village.

Written by Bilsing-Graham and Kreamer and to be directed by Einhorn, Prospect is described as a comedic Western with a feminist twist. An idealistic young woman moves to the frontier to be a schoolteacher, but her ideals quickly are tested when she learns that her students are rowdy ranch hands, not children.

Bilsing-Graham and Kreamer executive produce with Einhorn. ABC Studios is the studio.

Bilsing-Graham and Kreamer co-created, wrote and executive produced I Hate My Teenage Daughter, which aired on Fox from 2011-13. The duo most recently served...

Exclusive: ABC has nabbed a multi-camera comedy from The New Adventures of Old Christine creator Kari Lizer and Sony Pictures TV with a production commitment.

This marks the first sale for Lizer under the the significant multi-year overall deal she signed with Sony Pictures TV a couple of months ago.

Written and executive produced by Lizer via her Kari’s Logo Here banner, the untitled comedy centers on an empty-nester mom who wonders how she ended up alone while her children live their best lives thousands of miles away. Fed up with the unanswered texts and blocked from their Facebook feed, she decides — much to their horror — that her place is with her family. First she inserts herself into their lives, then she becomes an indispensable part of them.

In addition to CBS’ New Adventures of Old Christine, which ran for five seasons and earned star Julia Louis-Dreyfus an Emmy,...

Goran Stolevski, Hannah Lehmann and Nina Oyama.

Twelve Aussie creatives are off to Los Angeles for Talent USA: La, a week-long program that involves meetings, workshops and networking opportunities.

Talent USA: La is an initiative of Screen Australia and the Australian Writers’ Guild, and participants were selected due to their existing international profile or having already attracted Us interest in their work.

Film Independent and Australians in Film USA (AiF) will assist setting up the program, and AiF are also providing financial assistance to Mentor La recipients to attend the Talent USA: La program.

“La is the epicentre of the English-speaking screen industry, so Talent USA is an opportunity for the Australian creators to understand how the Us system works and increase their visibility amongst core decision-makers,” said Screen Australia’s head of development Nerida Moore.

“The ultimate goal of the program is to empower these creators to do their best work back in Australia,...

Exclusive: Longtime collaborators, Homeland co-creators/executive producers Howard Gordon and Alex Gansa, have partnered and set up shop at Sony Pictures Television Studios with a rich four-year overall deal, leaving their longtime studio home at 20th Century Fox TV where Gordon has been for a quarter century, and Gansa for a decade.

Under the pact, the duo will develop and executive produce new series for Sony Pictures TV through a yet-unnamed production company they are launching together.

This marks a formal reteaming for Gordon and Gansa, college buddies who graduated together from Princeton and moved to Hollywood to pursue a career in screenwriting. They started as a writing team, landing jobs on several series including Beauty and the Beast before joining The X-Files after the pilot as supervising producers. This is where the duo’s path diverged, with Gansa laving after the first season, until they reunited on 24. Gansa served...

Exclusive: In a competitive situation, The New Adventures of Old Christine creator Kari Lizer has signed a significant multi-year overall deal with Sony Pictures Television. Under the pact, seasoned comedy creator/showrunner Lizer will develop new television projects for broadcast, cable, and streaming services though her company, Kari’s Logo Here.

In addition to CBS’ The New Adventures of Old Christine, which ran for five seasons and earned star Julia Louis-Dreyfuss an Emmy award. Lizer also created and executive produced the CBS comedy series Maggie Winters toplined by Faith Ford.

She also did a four-year stint on the original Will and Grace. Over the past several years, Lizer wrote a number of broadcast projects that went to pilot, most recently, Dream Team at ABC in 2016, which she co-created with Bill Wrubel.

Lizer is repped by CAA and attorney Bob Getman.