Multiple ABC Pilots Not Moving Forward

According to Deadline, ABC has passed on multiple pilots, including Public Defenders, Keeping It Together, The Hurt Unit, and Judgement. ABC Signature is planning on shopping The Hurt Unit to other platforms and networks. 20th Television is shopping Judgement and Public Defenders.

The network still has to decide on the future of The Good Doctor backdoor pilot spinoff, The Good Lawyer, as well as The Rookie: Feds and Home Economics.

ABC gave a series order to Drew Goddard’s (Daredevil, The Cabin in the Woods) pilot High Potential last month. The series stars Kaitlin Olson (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The Mick) and is based on the French detective series HIP.

Public Defenders is a single-camera comedy starring Anthony Anderson (black-ish, Law & Order). It is created by McG (True Lies, The Winchesters) and Eddie Quintana (K.C. Undercover, Shake It Up). It received a pilot order in January.

It is produced by 20th Television and follows four inexperienced public defenders in lots of student debt who work very hard to keep their clients out of jail. Along with Anderson, the pilot starred Kimrie Lewis (Kenan, Single Parents), Isaiah Dòdó-Williams (FBI: Most Wanted, Public Defenders), Erika Henningsen (Harlem, Blue Bloods), Arturo Castro (Narcos, Broad City), and Natasha Lopez (The Time Traveler’s Wife, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit).

The pilot was directed by Randall Einhorn (Abbott Elementary, The Office) and written by Quintana, who executive produced along with McG, Corey Marsh (Holidate, The Babysitter: Killer Queen), and Mary Viola (Stolen, Brooklyn’s Finest).

Keeping It Together is a remake of the British comedy Motherland on the BBC. It received a pilot order in March and starred Ellie Kemper (The Office, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), Judy Greer (Arrested Development, Two and a Half Men), Michaela Conlin (Yellowstone, Bones) and Karan Soni (Miracle Workers, Mighty Med).

It is produced by ABC Signature, Paul Feig’s (Spy, Bridesmaids) Feigco Entertainment, Clelia Mountford’s (There She Goes, Frayed) Merman Television, and Lionsgate. It is created by Sharon Horgan (This Way Up, Catastrophe) and Julieanne Smolinski (Grace and Frankie, United We Fall).

The pilot is directed by Michael Showalter (The State, Search Party), who executive produces with Feig, Smolinski, Kemper, Horgan, Mountford, Helen Serafinowicz (Fit, Look Around You), Dan Magnante (Someone Great, Zoey’s Extraordinary Christmas), Stacy Greenberg (Proven Innocent, Drop-Off), Holly Walsh (The Other One, All Over the Place), and Kira Carstensen (Glued, SisterS).

The Hurt Unit pilot was created by John Glenn (Eagle Eye, The Lazarus Project) and Matt Lopez (Promised Land, Bedtime Stories). It was directed by Marc Webb (The Amazing Spider-Man, (500) Days of Summer).

It stars Melissa George (Friends, Alias), Augustus Prew (Pure Genius, Nolly), Ashley Romans (Genius, I’m Dying Up Here), Michelle Ortiz (This Fool, Lopez vs. Lopez), and Ben McKenzie (Gotham, The O.C.).

Glenn and Lopez wrote the pilot and executive produced with Webb.

Judgement was given a pilot order in December and is created by Joey Falco (Charmed, Sleepy Hollow). The pilot starred Sarah Shahi (The L Word, The Rookie), Reid Scott (Veep, The Marvelous Ms. Maisel), Ken Kirby (Dynasty, The Gifted), François Arnaud (Surface, The Borgias), Christine Adams (Batman Begins, Black Lightning), and Portia Doubleday (Mr. Robot, Her).

It is produced by 20th Television and executive produced by Falco, Jake Kasdan (Bad Teacher, Jumanji: The Next Level), Jordan Cerf (Judgement), and Melvin Mar (Red One, Lucky Grandma).

Krista Dadasis: Boston University Media Science major and television writer.
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