ABC is bulking up on drama orders.
The network on Friday night gave the greenlight to four drama pilots: The Adversaries, a legal thriller from Betrayal creator David Zabel; Kingmakers, a college-set murder mystery from Sallie Patrick; oil drama Boom from 24 executive producer Tony Krantz; and The Advocate, a medical drama from Sheldon Turner.
The Adversaries follows the patriarch of a New York legal dynasty who becomes embroiled in a trial of his own, forcing his federal prosecutor daughter to decide which side she is on. The ABC Studios produced drama is being penned by David Zabel, who will also serve as executive producer.
Penned and executive produced by Sallie Patrick, Kingmakers follows a young man who adopts a new identity to infiltrate an Ivy League school and its century-old secret society — populated by privileged students, ambitious faculty, and high-profile alums — to investigate the death of his sister. ABC Studios is producing.
From writers Josh Pate, Rodes Fishburne and ABC Studios, Boom is described as a modern spin on the Gold Rush and tells the story of the biggest oil discovery in American history which triggers an economic boom in North Dakota on a scale not seen since 1849. Dracula and 24‘s Tony Krantz will executive produce alongside Josh Pate.
The Advocate tells the story of an type-A business woman who leaves her career behind to become a medical advocate after she has a medical scare of her own and is misdiagnosed. The drama, which hails from Warner Bros Television, is being penned by Sheldon Turner, who executive produces alongside Jennifer Klein.
This latest round of drama pick ups are expected to be it for ABC this pilot season. The network now has some 12 drama pilots on their slate including political thriller Flesh & Blood, terrorism drama Quantico, true-crime drama LA Crime, gun running drama Runner, family drama Mix, biblical drama Of Kings And Prophets; Shondaland drama The Catch; and cop drama Broad Squad.
