NBC recently landed a deal for a new drama series inspired in part by the 2019 college admissions scandal. The series, titled TriBeCa, is also based on the Korean original show Sky Castle, will be lead by Jessica Queller and Robert Rovner, executive producers and showrunners of Supergirl.
According to Deadline, the series will explore “the inner lives of group of families and the lengths they will go to ensure their children succeed, regardless of the cost.” Deadline also notes the similarities this premise has with the college admissions scandal of this past year, which implicated many parents including some television celebrities in a conspiracy to gain their children acceptance into prestigious colleges. Universal Television recently acquired the rights to a similar premise in the form of the novel The Gifted School by Bruce Holsinger.
Sky Castle, the source material for TriBeCa, predates the 2019 college admissions scandal, but has a few relevant similarities to current events. Deadline describes the show in their article, stating that it “revolves around elite families in a wealthy neighborhood where mothers are desperate to get their children into the best college in Korea and would spare no expense and stop at nothing to do it.” In a recent review, Jazmine Media described Sky Castle as “one of the best Kdramas written in recent years.” Forbes commented on the unexpected success of the show, pointing to the fact that “ratings exceeded 20 percent, which is very high for a Korean cable program.”
As for TriBeCa, so far it has received a pilot commitment and will be produced by Berlanti Productions and Warner Bros. TV. This marks Berlanti Productions’ second pilot commitment this season; their new drama Found received pilot commitment from ABC. The Korean source material, Sky Castle, is currently available in the United States, and can be streamed on Netflix with English subtitles. You can watch the U.S. trailer for Sky Castle below.