Dancing with the Upfronts: FOX Makes Several Pickups, ABC Debates Renewals

While FOX isn't due to unveil their fall schedule until tomorrow, the network got a head start this weekend by announcing several series orders, a series renewal, and a surprising cancellation.

FOX is slated to announce their fall slate on Tuesday but word got out about a few expected orders, including J.J. Abrams-executive produced drama Fringe--starring Anna Torv, Joshua Jackson, John Noble, and Mark Valley--which had received a series commitment from the net last fall. (You can read my original review of the pilot script here.)

Project, from Warner Bros. Television, creators Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci (Transformers) and director Alex Graves (Journeyman) is viewed by many as the network's best hope at recapturing the sci-fi audience it once commanded back in the day with The X-Files; the drama revolves around a female FBI agent paired with an estranged father and son team of rogue scientists who investigate cases involving unexplained phenomena.

Joss Whedon's "brilliantly evocative" action drama Dollhouse is on the schedule but sadly not until midseason. It could be paired with 24 (which returns in January 09) on Monday nights. In the meantime, it's thought that Mondays could be filled with Fringe and Prison Break. But I'm crushed that we'll have to wait until next year for the next Whedon oeuvre. Darn schedulers.

Also getting series stripes is comedy The Inn, from writer/executive producer Abraham Higginbotham (Arrested Development), about a posh Manhattan hotel and the Upstairs/Downstairs-like intrigues of the staffers and guests. Helmed by Jason Bateman, the pilot stars Niecy Nash, Jerry O'Connell, Molly Stanton, Jolene Purdy, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, and Brando Eaton.

FOX has also ordered animated comedy Class Dismissed (fka Sit Down, Shut Up), from creator Mitch Hurwitz (Arrested Development) and featuring the voices of Arrested alums Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, and Henry Winkler, plus Cheri Oteri, Will Forte, Nick Kroll, Tom Kenny, and Maria Bamford. Project, based on a live-action Aussie series, revolves around the self-absorbed teachers at a high school who are all more invested in solving their own issues than those of their students. (I wish I had liked the painfully unfunny pilot script more but it just left me completely dry.)

For midseason, FOX has granted a cast-contingent pilot order to Inseparable, a Jekyll & Hyde-like project from Shaun Cassidy (American Gothic) about a paralyzed forensic detective whose alter ego is a vicious criminal mastermind. Personally, I loved this script when I read it last fall and am sad that the option on British actor Toby Stephens has expired. I'm hoping that they find a series lead as compelling as Stephens who can do justice to the dual character format.

In a bit of a bait and switch, FOX renewed 'Til Death for a third season but has canceled fellow sitcom Back to You, starring Kelsey Grammer and Patricia Heaton. While many expected both series to return next season in a one-hour block, it was felt that Back to You was too expensive of a proposition to renew it for a sophomore season.

Sadly, The Oaks will not be going forward as a series... at least not at FOX. The network has passed on the drama project, about three couples living in the same house in three different decades linked by a ghostly presence; studio 20th Century Fox Television will pitch it elsewhere.

Over at ABC, Boston Legal has been given a reprieve and WILL return for a fifth season during the 2008-09 season, likely joined by David E. Kelley's new series, a US adaptation of hit British drama Life on Mars, and exiled comedy Scrubs, making the move from NBC.

Also possibly returning at the Alphabet: drama Eli Stone and, in a surprise move, Judy Greer-led comedy Miss/Guided. Definitely not returning: Women's Murder Club. I dare say that not many people will be shedding a tear over that one.

Given the stability of ABC's lineup--and the fact that most of its series, including dramas Pushing Daisies, Private Practice, and Dirty Sexy Money, will be returning next season--the network is only expected to pick up Life on Mars at this time and will shoot several pilots during June and July for possible midseason consideration.

CBS is eying Eleventh Hour, the US adaptation of yet another British series which stars Rufus Sewell and Marley Shelton (replacing the original's Patrick Stewart and Ashley Jensen) and The Mentalist. I quite liked Eleventh Hour (then again, I liked the original mini-series), though I found The Mentalist--written by Rome's Bruno Heller--to be utterly insufferable.

Other contenders for pickup include Mythological Ex, Can Openers, and murder-mystery/horror hybrid Harper's Island, none of which I really cared for in the script stage. I would be amazed if all three ended up on the lineup though Mythological Ex--from Veronica Mars scribe Diane Ruggiero--is definitely the strongest of the three, though definitely the most female-oriented.

On the comedy side, My Best Friend's Girl, Worst Week, and the untitled Ed Yeager comedy (starring Jay Mohr) have all been gathering steam the past few days. I think all three pale in comparison to the comedies that CBS currently airs so they will definitely have to work on improving scripts should any of them get ordered to series.

Look for The Unit to return for another season and for Shark to swim into the sunset.

Over at The CW, the netlet has ordered the Tyra Banks fashion-based reality competition series Stylista as a companion series for America's Next Top Model and given a series order to Beverly Hills 90210 spinoff--which original actress Jennie Garth has signed on for (ending several months of annoying speculation, given the fact that Kelly Taylor appeared in the pilot script).

I'm thinking that 90210 will end up on Mondays with Gossip Girl but that could change. I'm very curious to see what MRC (Media Rights Capital) will do with the Sunday night block it has bought from the netlet; it is expected to program two comedies and two dramas in primetime, rather than the second-window repeats the CW has aired this past season.

Also looking like a likely order is How to Teach Filthy Rich Girls.

Dancing with the Upfronts: Likely Series Contenders at ABC, CBS, FOX, and CW

This has been an odd development season, to say the least.

While networks claim to be moving towards year-round development, it's put an odd crimp into this season, which struggled through the writers strike and truncated the time necessary to develop and produce a whole slew of pilots for network and cable, many of which will now be shot this summer... after the network upfront presentations next week. Which means that while the broadcasters will announce their fall schedules--which stand to include quite a few familiar faces along with a few new, high-profile projects--look for them to be deliberately coy about plans for midseason as they'll likely wait to make decisions about midseason pickups until late summer when these late pilot orders will be completed.

So, other than NBC (which made their announcements about fall, winter, and next summer already, ordering most projects to series directly from the script stage), what can we anticipate will end up on the networks then? Let's take a look.

ABC: The Alphabet will likely only be ordering just a few series next week. Chalk this up to the fact that most of their pilots won't shoot until "Phase 2" (or June/July) and they have the most returning series out of any other broadcaster and will be relaunching freshman dramas Pushing Daisies, Dirty Sexy Money, and Private Practice (which wrapped their seasons in light of the strike) this fall. Which leaves only a few timeslots to fill. The main contender is Life on Mars, David E. Kelley's US remake of the brilliant hit BBC drama... that is if the network can reach a deal with Kelley for the series, which may be co-produced by 20th Century Fox Television and ABC Television. Kelley may not even stick around post-pilot either; the net is supposedly in talks with October Road creators Josh Appelbaum, Andre Nemec and Scott Rosenberg to join the project as executive producers, a move which makes me even less likely to want to tune in.

FOX: The main players here are high-profile, with J.J. Abrams-executive produced sci-fi drama Fringe (starring Joshua Jackson) and Joss Whedon's brilliantly evocative Dollhouse set to earn series stripes. There's been debate about when Dollhouse will launch, with rumors flying that it will either kick off in August (where FOX launched The OC a few years back) or possibly in midseason. I'd prefer the former rather than the latter, as I want my Dollhouse fix now. Plus, FOX could get a jump on their competitors by launching early (and not running into the continual problem of baseball playoffs). Fringe, meanwhile, would make a good companion for the already-renewed Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. Look for comedy Starting Under--starring Bernie Mac--to turn up on the sked, joined by returnees Back to You and 'Til Death. Also likely series orders: US adaptations of UK comedies Outnumbered and Spaced (hiss!), the second of which I'd rather see die a fiery death (the script was quite possibly one of the worst this year) than tarnish the name of that brilliant creation of Simon Pegg, Jessica Stevenson, and Edgar Wright.

CBS: Look for procedurals, procedurals, and more procedurals on the Eye's schedule, rather than the musical murder mysteries, Latina rum barons, or suburban swingers that populated last season's upfront presentations. CBS has wisely learned that they went a little too far out of the box last year with things like Viva Laughlin, Cane, and Swingtown and this year's development slate was a return to more familiar ground with things like The Mentalist (a tarnished mentalist--read: fake psychic--helps police solve crimes with his powers of observation), which I found to be a real yawner; the untitled Geena Davis drama (formerly known as Exit 19) about a Long Island single mom/cop who deals with her unruly family while solving crimes and leaving Post-Its everywhere) from Jeffrey Bell (Angel); female romantic dramedy Mythological Ex--about a woman who is told by a psychic that she's already met the man of her dreams and sets out to revisit each of her ex-boyfriends in turn--from Veronica Mars scribe Diane Ruggiero; and Jerry Bruckheimer-executive produced Eleventh Hour, yet another US adaptation of a UK skein. The latter is definitely the most interesting of the four, offering a gripping science-based thriller series with procedural mysteries of the week, intriguing characters in diametrically opposed partners Jacob Hood and Rachel, and a good cast in series leads Rufus Sewell and Marley Shelton.

CW: Over at the CW, they only have three drama pilots to choose from this year, so look for at least two to make it onto the network this fall. Virtually considered a lock is the Beverly Hills 90210 spinoff (which has Arrested Development's Jessica Walters as lady luck), a likely timeslot companion for Gossip Girl on Mondays, offering teens the opportunity to watch two sets of spoiled kids on either coast back-to-back. The other two pilots are harder to read, with fellow adapted-from-an-Alloy-novel-series How to Teach Filthy Rich Girls seeming a more likely order over the real-time Grey's Anatomy-lite Austin Golden Hour, about ER doctors and paramedics in the crucial one hour after a trauma. Then again, both could end up on the schedule, with it likely that one might be held until midseason.

What do you think? Which series are you most excited about and which do you hope won't make it to series? If you were running these networks, what changes would you make to the schedules?

NBC Announces its, Er, "Patented" 52-Week Schedule

As promised, NBC has gone ahead and made its announcements for the 2008-09 season today, with more than a few surprises, including the long-rumored untitled spin-off of The Office, which will launch after the Superbowl, and the return of low-rated Lipstick Jungle.

Only four new series will launch this fall, including the Christian Slater action vehicle My Own Worst Enemy, comedy Kath & Kim, Knight Rider, and Crusoe. Much buzzed about drama Kings will air this fall as a backdoor pilot and, if picked up to series, may air on Sunday nights at 10 pm.

Schedule, which is sure to raise a few eyebrows, can be found in its entirety below.

NBC PRIMETIME SCHEDULE FOR FALL 2008-09:
*New programs in UPPER CASE (with the exception of ER)

MONDAY
8-9 pm: Chuck
9-10 pm: Heroes
10-11 pm: MY OWN WORST ENEMY

TUESDAY
8- 9:30 pm: The Biggest Loser: Families
9:30-10 pm: KATH & KIM
10-11 pm: Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

WEDNESDAY
8-9 pm: KNIGHT RIDER
9-10 pm: Deal or No Deal
10-11 pm: Lipstick Jungle

THURSDAY
8- 8:30 pm: My Name Is Earl
8:30-9 pm: 30 Rock
9- 9:30 pm: The Office
9:30-10 pm: The Office / SNL THURSDAY NIGHT LIVE
10-11 pm: ER

FRIDAY
8-9 pm: CRUSOE
9-10 pm: Deal or No Deal
10-11 pm: Life

SATURDAY
8-9 pm: Dateline NBC
9-10 pm: KNIGHT RIDER (Encores)
10-11 pm: Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (Encores)

SUNDAY
7- 8:20 pm: Football Night in America
8:20-11 pm: NBC Sunday Night Football

NBC PRIMETIME SCHEDULE FOR WINTER 2009:
*New programs in UPPER CASE (with the exception of ER )

MONDAY
8- 9 pm: Chuck
9-10 pm: Heroes
10-11 pm: THE PHILANTHROPIST

TUESDAY
8- 9:30 pm: The Biggest Loser: Couples
9:30-10 pm: KATH & KIM
10-11 pm: Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

WEDNESDAY
8-9 pm: KNIGHT RIDER
9-10 pm: Deal or No Deal
10-11 pm: Law & Order

THURSDAY
8- 8:30 pm: My Name Is Earl
8:30-9 pm: 30 Rock
9- 9:30 pm: The Office
9:30-10 pm: THE OFFICE SPINOFF
10-11 pm: ER / The Celebrity Apprentice

FRIDAY
8-9 pm: Deal or No Deal
9-10 pm: Friday Night Lights
10-11 pm: Life

SATURDAY
8-9 pm: Dateline NBC
9-10 pm: Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (Encores)
10-11 pm: Law & Order (Encores)

SUNDAY
7-8 pm: Specials/ Dateline NBC
8-9 pm: Specials/ MERLIN
9-10 pm: Specials/ Medium
10-11 pm: Specials/ KINGS

NBC PRIMETIME SCHEDULE FOR SUMMER 2009:
*New programs in UPPER CASE

MONDAY
8-9 pm: American Gladiators
9-10 pm: AMERICA'S TOUGHEST JOBS
10-11 pm: Dateline NBC

TUESDAY
8-9 pm: Most Outrageous Moments
9-10 pm: America's Got Talent
10-11 pm: Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (Encores)

WEDNESDAY
8-9 pm: SHARK TAGGERS
9-10 pm: America's Got Talent (Results Show)
10-11 pm: Law & Order (Encores)

THURSDAY
8- 8:30 pm: The Office
8:30- 9 pm: THE OFFICE SPINOFF
9-10 pm: Last Comic Standing
10-11 pm: THE LISTENER

FRIDAY
8-9 pm: CHOPPING BLOCK
9-11 pm: Dateline NBC

SATURDAY
8-9 pm: Drama Encores
9-10 pm: Drama Encores
10-11 pm: Drama Encores

SUNDAY
7-8 pm: Dateline NBC
8-9 pm: Monk
9-10 pm: Nashville Star
10-11 pm: KINGS (Encores)

Um, wow. And now for descriptions of the new series themselves.

MY OWN WORST ENEMY - Henry Spivey (Christian Slater, "Bobby") is a middle-class efficiency expert living a humdrum life in the suburbs with a wife, two kids, a dog, and a minivan. Edward Albright is an operative who speaks 13 languages, runs a four-minute mile, and is trained to kill with his teeth. Henry and Edward are polar opposites who share only one thing in common -- the same body. When the carefully constructed wall between them breaks down, Henry and Edward are thrust into unfamiliar territory where each man is dangerously out of his element. My Own Worst Enemy explores the duality of a man who is literally pitted against himself. And it raises the question: who can you trust when you can't trust yourself? The series is produced by Universal Media Studios. Jason Smilovic (Kidnapped) is the executive producer; David Semel (director of the American Dreams, Heroes and Life pilots) is the director and executive producer.

KNIGHT RIDER -On the heels of NBC's hit movie, the iconic 1980s television classic comes roaring back to life as an updated drama series showcasing the new customized KITT (Knight Industries Three Thousand) Ford Mustang. As the sequel resumes, KITT is absolutely the coolest car ever created: its supercomputer capable of hacking almost any system; its weapons systems efficient; and its body -- thanks to its creator's work and nanotechnology -- is capable of actually shifting shape and color. It is the ultimate car -- and someone will be willing to do anything to obtain it. Knight Rider stars Justin Bruening (Cold Case), Deanna Russo (NCIS), Sydney Tamiia Poitier (Veronica Mars) and Bruce Davison (Breach). David Bartis (Heist, The O.C.), Doug Liman (Mr. and Mrs. Smith, The Bourne Identity) and Gary Scott Thompson (Las Vegas, The Fast and The Furious) are executive producers and David Andron serves as supervising producer and writer. Based on characters created by Glen Larson, Knight Rider is from Universal Media Studios and Dutch Oven Productions.

CRUSOE - Based on the legendary novel by Daniel Defoe, this is the tale of Robinson Crusoe. A young man leaves his true love to embark on an adventure -- only to end up shipwrecked on a remote tropical island for 28 years, completely detached from the life he once knew. His desire to return to his wife and his strong and unlikely friendship with Friday are the only things that keep him sane. While stranded, Crusoe encounters enemies and braves the elements. Equal parts MacGyver, Castaway and Pirates of the Caribbean, this series is an inspirational tale of survival rife with action and comedy. Power Entertainment produces Crusoe.

KINGS -- Kings is an inspiring exploration of the timeless David vs. Goliath struggle. The show is set in a modern metropolis under siege where the fighting has gone on for too long and cost far too many lives. When David Shepherd (Christopher Egan, Resident Evil: Extinction), a brave young soldier, rescues the king's (Golden Globe winner Ian McShane, Deadwood) son from enemy territory, he sets events in motion that will finally bring peace. Suddenly, David is thrust into the limelight, earning the affections of women -- including the king's daughter. When he's promoted to captain, he becomes the reluctant poster boy for hope. But for David, the line between his allies and enemies will blur as the power players in the kingdom go to great lengths to see him fall. From the director (Francis Lawrence) of the blockbuster movie "I Am Legend" comes the ultimate story of David vs. Goliath, and there's no telling who will win. Sebastian Stan (Gossip Girl) also stars. Kings is a production of Universal Media Studios; Michael Green (NBC's Heroes) is the executive producer. Francis Lawrence (I Am Legend) is the director and executive producer and Erwin Stoff (I Am Legend) also is executive producer.

MERLIN - Merlin brings to life a new legend for a modern audience. Merlin is an exciting, hour-long fantasy series set in the mythic city of Camelot -- but inspired by 21st Century storytelling. Before Merlin (Colin Morgan, Doctor Who) and Arthur (Bradley James, Lewis) became legends, they were ambitious young men looking for adventure, hoping to live up to their family's expectations, discovering love and finding their own true destiny, making mistakes along the way. The innovative, action-packed drama has cross-generational appeal and paints a picture of Merlin and Arthur's early life that audiences have never witnessed before. Anthony Head (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Richard Wilson (A Passage to India), Angel Coulby (Magicians) and Katie McGrath (The Tudors) also star. A FremantleMedia Enterprises distribution of a Shine production for BBC.

THE PHILANTHROPIST -- This one-hour drama is about a rebel with a cause. Teddy Rist loves women, money and power. After the tragic death of his only child, Teddy has an awakening and becomes the world's first vigilante philanthropist -- a renegade billionaire who uses his wealth, connections and power to help people in need. He'll do anything to achieve his goals -- bargain with the self-righteous, trade with the nefarious and even tell the truth. Instead of spending $25,000 a plate at a fundraiser, he's dodging bullets in third-world countries to hand-deliver vaccine. It's a global adventure that will take viewers to the ends of the Earth and will inspire them as well. "The Philanthropist" is produced by Universal Media Studios, Original Media and the Levinson/Fontana Company. Tom Fontana (Homicide: Life on the Street), Barry Levinson (Homicide: Life on the Street) and Charlie Corwin (L.A. Ink) are the executive producers; Jim Juvonen is a co-executive producer.

THE LISTENER -- In this one-hour drama, Toby Logan (Craig Olejnik, The Runaway) is a 24-year-old paramedic living with a secret: he can read people's minds. This telepathic procedural takes viewers into the heart of a tortured hero who struggles to solve crimes with his unique gift. Week-to-week, "The Listener" balances high-stakes drama with irreverent humor and sends Toby on an intellectual and emotional adventure. Ennis Esmer (The Path to 9/11) also stars. "The Listener" is a production of Program Partners and Shaftesbury Films. The executive producers are Christina Jennings, Scott Garvie, Michael Amo, Russ Cochrane, Glen Davis and Bill Laurin.

NEW COMEDIES:

THE OFFICE SPINOFF - From Greg Daniels, the executive producer of the Emmy Award-winning American version of NBC's The Office, comes the most highly anticipated comedy of the season in The Office spinoff. Audiences will follow another comic journey, complete with new faces and new locations, but with the same unique sense of humor and brand of quality from Daniels and his creative team. It's the next chapter of what viewers have come to know and love about The Office.

KATH & KIM -- They're the most dysfunctional duo in suburbia. Kath Day (Molly Shannon, NBC's Saturday Night Live) is the mom, a foxy, 40-something divorcée who finally has time for herself and her valiant search for love. Kim Day (Selma Blair, Hellboy, Hellboy II) is the daughter, a self-absorbed princess recently separated from her husband who finds consolation in stuffing her face. When Kim decides to move back home, Kath reluctantly agrees -- but to Kim's chagrin, Kath is not about to cater to her every whim as she has in the past. Based on the most successful comedy in Australia of the same name, Kath and Kim are two brassy women who prefer the finer things in life like acrylic nails, big hair and faux diamond chips. The series is produced by Universal Media Studios and Reveille. The executive producer/writer is Michelle Nader (The King of Queens) and the executive producer/director is Paul Feig (Freaks and Geeks, The Office). Gina Riley, Jane Turner and Rick McKenna also are executive producers.

SNL THURSDAY NIGHT LIVE - Dubbed "TV's funniest and most influential political player" by Entertainment Weekly, SNL expands its "Weekend Update" coverage to Thursdays in primetime for three live half-hour shows beginning October 16. With all of the excitement and attention around Saturday Night Live during the presidential primaries, the anticipation for the show's take on this Fall's election will be at a fever pitch, SNL Thursday Night Live will keep the momentum -- and the laughs -- going. The program is a production of Broadway Video in association with SNL Studios. Lorne Michaels is the executive producer.

NEW ALTERNATIVE:

CHOPPING BLOCK -- It's time to sharpen your knives! It's not just about the meal, it's about the business of food. From the producers of Hell's Kitchen, original rock-star chef Marco Pierre White comes to America to host the ultimate food fight on NBC -- a new reality competition set in the high-drama, high-stakes world of New York City restaurants. The cooks are given a grilling over the course of the series. The teams, which are made up of couples, will be tested in challenges that vary from having less than a week to design and revamp a restaurant space to planning a menu and creating a signature dish. The winning couple will get a chance to have their dreams come true -- opening their very own restaurant in Manhattan. The series is produced by Granada America.

AMERICA'S TOUGHEST JOBS - From creator/executive producer Thom Beers (Deadliest Catch, Ice Road Truckers) and executive producers Gail Berman and Lloyd Braun, America's Toughest Jobs is a new extreme competition series that will test 12 people who venture out of their safe, comfortable careers and are injected into some of the most challenging, dangerous and demanding jobs on earth. From logging high in the Oregon Forest to oil drilling on the Texas range, or from driving icy roads to extreme fishing -- each job requires guts and stamina, and they'll have to live up to the same standards as the pros. In the end, their new boss and co-workers will determine success or failure, and those who don't make the grade get sent home. Upping the ante, the annual salary of each job will be thrown into the pot until the finale, where one rookie will take home the well-earned cash. America's Toughest Jobs is created by executive producer Beers and is produced by Original Productions and BermanBraun.

SHARK TAGGERS -- From creator/executive producer Thom Beers (Deadliest Catch, Ice Road Truckers) and executive producers Gail Berman and Lloyd Braun, "Shark Taggers" is a one-hour reality series that follows daring marine biologists as they track down the ocean's top predators and hand-tag them with cutting-edge satellite transmitters or investigate bull sharks' sudden attacks on surfers. The series is produced by Original Productions and BermanBraun.

MOST OUTRAGEOUS MOMENTS -- This half-hour show proves that anything can happen when the cameras keep rolling. Audiences can enjoy hilarious outtakes from some of NBC's most popular shows, as well as outrageous moments from home videos, newscasts, game shows and commercials from around the globe. Most Outrageous Moments is produced by Universal Media Studios and Scott Satin Productions. Scott Satin (Who Wants to Be a Superhero?) serves as executive producer.

NEW EVENTS/MINISERIES/MOVIES:

THE LAST TEMPLAR -- In this four-hour miniseries, Oscar winner Mira Sorvino (Mighty Aphrodite) stars in an epic action-adventure tale about the greatest mystery of our time. At the New york Metropolitan Museum, four horsemen dressed as 12th century knights storm the gala opening of an exhibition of Vatican treasures and steal an arcane medieval decoder. For archaeologist Tess Chaykin (Sorvino) and FBI agent Sean Daly (Scott Foley, The Unit), this is just the start of a suspenseful game of cat and mouse as they race across three continents in search of the enemy -- and the lost secret of the Knights Templar. The miniseries is produced by MUSE Entertainment Enterprises. Victor Garber (Alias) and Omar Sharif (Doctor Zhivago) also star. Emmy Award-winning television impresario Robert Halmi Sr. (Tin Man, Gulliver's Travels), Robert Halmi, Jr. (The Poseidon Adventure, The Christmas Card), and Michael Prupas (Human Trafficking) will executive-produce the miniseries.

XIII - XIII is a high-stakes cat-and-mouse thriller starring Val Kilmer (The Doors) and Stephen Dorff (World Trade Center). This adrenaline-charged miniseries begins dramatically as the first female U.S. President is shot dead by a sniper during her Veteran's Day speech. Three months later, a wounded man is found tattered in a forest with no memory of his identity. The only clue is a tattoo on his neck, XIII. Could his lightning-fast reflexes and killer instincts betray him as the presidential assassin that the U.S. is desperately searching for? Submerged in a far-reaching conspiracy, which threatens to overthrow the entire government, XIII's identity becomes the key to unraveling a complex and dangerous secret that will shock and excite. From the first bullet, this gripping action-thriller will leave audiences gasping for more. XIII is produced by Prodigy Pictures and Cipango.