CBS is boosting its pilot slate, picking up a drama from Jason Katims, and a comedy based on the play “Superior Donuts,” Variety has learned. “Bunker Hill” hails from the “Parenthood” creator, and “Superior Donuts” comes from writers Bob Daily, Neil Goldman and Garrett Donovan.
“Bunker Hill” revolves around a young Silicon Valley tech titan who enlists a veteran surgeon with a controversial past in starting a hospital with a cutting edge, new-school approach to medicine. Produced by Universal Television and CBS Television Studios, Katims will exec produce with his producing partner Michelle Lee.
For CBS, “Bunker Hill” is another take at a medical drama. This current TV season, the network debuted “Code Black,” but since former chairman Nina Tassler’s tenure, CBS has been wanting to find more shows in the medical genre.
For Katims, the pilot order marks the latest project since “Parenthood” bowed out. Up next, Katims’ Hulu series “The Path,” starring “Breaking Bad” alum Aaron Paul, debuts in March. He also recently landed a pilot order for a romantic drama at HBO.
“Superior Donuts” is based on the 2008 play by Tracy Letts. Written by Daily (“Desperate Housewives,” “Frasier”) and writing duo Goldman and Donovan (“Family Guy,” “Scrubs,” “Community”), the multi-cam comedy follows the relationship between the owner of a donut shop, his new young employee and their patrons in a gentrifying neighborhood of Chicago.
The comedy continues CBS’s relationship with Daily who is an exec producer on Matthew Perry’s “The Odd Couple.” Along with the three writers, Mark Teitelbaum and John Montgomery will also serve as exec producers. CBS Television Studios will produce.
In a funny turn of events, if ordered to series, “Superior Donuts” would mark the network’s second bake shop-set series, following “2 Broke Girls.”
For detailed information on all of this year’s pilots, see Variety’s Pilot Scorecard.
