ABC has given pilot orders to four dramas from executive producers including Kevin Williamson, “Agent Carter” showrunners Michele Fazekas & Tara Butters, and Pacific Standard’s Reese Witherspoon & Bruna Papandrea, Variety has learned.
“Spark,” written and executive produced by Michael Cooney, hails from ABC Studios. Set in an alternate history where gas and coal fuel the world, this genre soap centers on the battle for power between two rival families and a rebellious young woman with a spark of invention that could level both their empires. Ian Sander and Kim Moses also executive produce.
Reese Witherspoon and Bruna Papandrea are executive producing an untitled drama written by Meaghan Oppenheimer, in which a ruthless Dallas divorce attorney’s life begins to unravel when her emotionally damaged, love-addicted sister resurfaces, triggering self-destructive tendencies and exposing long-hidden family secrets. The project also hails from ABC Studios.
“The Death of Eva Sofia Valdez,” described as “MacBeth with a Cuban twist,” was written and exec produced by Charise Castro Smith and exec produced by “Agent Carter” showrunners Fazekas and Butters via ABC Studios. An immigrant who rose from rags to riches, Eva Sofia Valdez is a celebrated Miami entrepreneur and a champion for immigrant rights. But her success is fueled by an insatiable ambition that could destroy her family, a vendetta against the lover who betrayed her, and ghosts from the past who threaten to reveal the dark sacrifices Eva Sofia made to attain the American Dream.
“Time After Time” hails from Kevin Williamson and Warner Bros. Television. The project is based on the novel Time After Time, written by Karl Alexander, and uses that story as a starting point, chronicling the epic adventures of young H.G. Wells and his Time Machine.
ABC’s previously ordered drama pilots include modeling drama “Model Woman“; legal drama “Conviction” from the Mark Gordon Co.; Romeo & Juliet sequel series “Still Star-Crossed” from Shondaland; “The Jury,” produced by Carol Mendelsohn; “Presence” from John Ridley; and the “Agents of SHIELD” spinoff “Marvel’s Most Wanted.”
On the comedy side, ABC has picked up two family-centric pilots from producers of “Black-ish” and “The Middle”; soccer-themed “Dream Team” from “Will & Grace” alums Bill Wrubel and Kari Lizer; a pilot from “The Goldbergs” creator Adam F. Goldberg about an imaginary friend; “Downward Dog,” starring Allison Tolman; cancer-themed comedy “Pearl;” and “Speechless,” which revolves around a family with a special-needs child.
For detailed information on all of this year’s pilots, see Variety’s Pilot Scorecard.
