Of the pilot projects picked up by FOX today, two might be of special note to fans of genre television.
From Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci (Fringe) there’s Sleepy Hollow, a modern-day “supernatural thriller” that sees Ichabod Crane teaming up with Sleepy Hollow’s local female sheriff to solve the mysteries of a town ravaged by the battle between good and evil. It is, of course, based on the classic story “The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow.” The CW also has a “Sleepy Hollow” production in development; we’ll see if there will be two that come simultaneously, as the warring Beauty And The Beast projects did this time last year.
FOX is also appealing to a very strong demographic — young adult novels — for a pilot they have picked up called Delirium. Based on a novel by Lauren Oliver, it sees its protagonist named Lena in a world where love is considered to be an illness that must be removed. It sounds a bit Hunger Games and would probably do well as a CW show; a FOX budget, however, might do better for it.
Those weren’t the only pilots that FOX picked up for possible slots in the 2013-2014 season. Also on tap tonight is The List, where a list of members of a Witness Security Protection Program falls into the wrong hands; Rake, a House-like show starring Greg Kinnear; and comedies including I Suck At Girls from Bill Lawrence; To My Assistant, about assistants at a law firm; Friends And Family, an adaptation of British sitcom Gavin And Stacey; and House Rules, about a neurotic family. As with other pilot announcements, none of these are guaranteed spots on the schedule, but shooting pilots can be a good start to that journey.
