Latest News About Writers Who Are Doing Better Than We Are
‘Tis the season for deals, deals, everywhere. But not a drop for…alack!…the poor minions slaving at TVWriter™:
- Janet Tamaro (RIZZOLI & ISLES) is stepping down as showrunner of the TNT hit in order to develop new projects. (Ain’t nobody here gonna argue against that. Wonder how much longer the show can last without her, though.)
- Becky Hartman Edwards (SWITCHED AT BIRTH) is writing the drama pilot FAR FROM THE TREE for Fox. (Yes, she’s noted for comedy, but even TV development execs can see that a show about the family of a terrorist – yes, that’s what this is about – won’t be funny. Well, not too funny anyway.)
- Damon Lindelof (LOST) has gotten a 10 episode series pickup from HBO for his drama series THE LEFTOVERS about what happens to the people who didn’t make the cut after, you know, the Rapture thing. (Leave it to TV to cash in on the Rapture long after it’s lost any value it may ever have had. We humbly submit our suggestion for the TV development model: “Forward to the past!”)
- Lauren Iungerich (AWKWARD), who seem to be talking about here all the time, has sold BITCH OFF THE OL’ BLOCK to NBC. It’s a comedy about a professional woman whose life is disrupted when her daughter, a younger version of herself, moves in with her and her roommates. (Didn’t we write about several other versions of this just yesterday? Oh, but they were at ABC, so this is all fine. Anybody know a smiley that means >shudder<?)
- Joe Port & LB’s former student Joe Wiseman (JOE, JOE AND JANE) are writing an untitled NBC comedy pilot about a 16 year old prodigy chef. (Cuz you know how much the TV audience loves teenagers and chefs and comedy. Well, at least NBC loves ’em – we hope.)