Upfronts 2016: The Overachievers

by Nellie Andreeva May 20, 2016 4:56pm

As we close the book on another broadcast development season, here is Deadline’s annual honor roll of those who excelled at the 2016 upfronts. Also included is a list of pods and independent production companies with multiple series on broadcast and cable:

The Uber Producers: Almost four decades after Aaron Spelling ruled ABC’s primetime with seven hours of drama programming a week, Greg Berlanti, Shonda Rhimes and Dick Wolf are enjoying a similar dominant presence, each with five drama series on one network — the CW, ABC and NBC, respectively. Berlanti added the new comic book-based Riverdale to his four returning series on the CW: Supergirl, moving from CBS, The Flash, Arrow and DC’s Legends Of Tomorrow, four of which he also co-created. His company also produces NBC’s Blindspot, which was renewed for a second season, bringing Berlanti’s tally to six broadcast drama series. Wolf expanded his Chicago franchise to four series with the pickup of Chicago Justice. He also has Law & Order: SVU and a series order by NBC for Law & Order: You The Jury reality spinoff, with an anthology offshoot, Law & Order: True Crime, on fast-track development. Rhimes’ company Shondaland is behind five drama series on ABC, with the newly picked up Romeo & Juliet sequel Still Star-Crossed joining returning series Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal, which Rhimes created, as well as How To Get Away With Murder and The Catch.

Mark Gordon is off to a hot start as an independent producer. In its first year, the eOne-based Mark Gordon Co. saw both of its broadcast pilots go to series at ABC: the Kiefer Sutherland-starrer Designated Survivor, which had a series commitment, and legal drama Conviction. Both landed on the fall schedule in high-profile 10 PM slots. Additionally, all existing series Gordon executive produces have been renewed for another season: ABC’s Quantico and Grey’s Anatomy, CBS’ Criminal Minds and spinoff Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders, as well as Showtime’s Ray Donovan.

Also going 2-for-2 with their pilots this season were The Blacklist producer Davis Entertainment and Lin Pictures TV. John Davis and John Fox’s Davis Entertainment has two new high-profile drama series on NBC: Timeless, which landed the coveted post-Voice slot on Monday, and spinoff The Blacklist: Redemption. That brings the company’s tally for next season to four broadcast series including returning The Blacklist on NBC and Dr. Ken on ABC.

Dan Lin and Jennifer Gwartz’s Lin Pictures TV saw its pilots Lethal Weapon at Fox and Frequency at the CW both go to series and land on the fall schedules.

Creators Dan Fogelman and Matt Miller had a stellar development season, each seeing both of their pilots picked up to series. The Neighbors and Galavant creator Fogelman has buzzy NBC dramedy This Is Us and baseball Fox drama Pitch for fall. Forever creator Miller has the Lethal Weapon reboot at Fox for fall and comedy Trial And Error at NBC for midseason. Both are the sole writers on one of their series and co-created the other.

Writer-producer Corinne Brinkerhoff also has two upcoming broadcast series — she penned the CW’s newly picked up dramedy No Tomorrow and also created CBS’ upcoming summer series American Gothic.

Imagine TV will have two new broadcast drama series next season, the newly picked up 24: Legacy as well as Shots Fired, which went straight to series. Both are at Fox where the company also has hit series Empire

Phil Lord and Chris Miller are executive producing two new series coming next season, the Fox time-travel comedy Making History and live-action/animation hybrid Son Of Zorn. The duo also are behind Fox’s returning comedy series The Last Man On Earth.

In front of the camera, Kaitlin Olson will pull a rare double duty, toplining two major series at the same time. She will continue as the female lead of FX’s veteran comedy It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia while also playing the lead in Fox’s new comedy series The Mick.

Three creators/co-creators of a hit broadcast series added a second show they created or co-created. Empire co-creator Lee Daniels has new Fox drama Star; The Goldbergs co-creator Adam F. Goldberg also co-created new ABC comedy Imaginary Mary; and Brooklyn Nine-Nine co-creator Mike Schur created new NBC comedy The Good Place. Additionally, he exec produces Netflix’s Master Of None.

Parenthood‘s Jason Katims is returning to broadcast TV with new CBS medical drama Pure Genius, which he created and exec produces. His company True Jack also is behind Hulu’s freshman series The Path. Ryan Murphy‘s new anthology series Feud for FX, which was featured during the Fox upfront presentation, joins his returning series Scream Queens on Fox and American Crime Story and American Horror Story on FX. Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt creators Tina Fey and Robert Carlock also exec produce new NBC comedy series Great News. And Hawaii Five-0 co-creator/showrunner Peter Lenkov also will be pulling double duty, as he was recently drafted to write a new script for and run new CBS drama series MacGyver in addition to his CBS drama. And Drop Dead Diva creator Josh Berman has new ABC drama Notorious as well upcoming VH1 series Daytime Divas.

Two independent production companies, Aaron Kaplan’s Kapital Entertainment and Steven Spielberg’s Amblin TV, each added a new broadcast series to their tallies. With new ABC comedy American Housewife, Kapital Entertainment has five series on broadcast and cable including Life In Pieces on CBS, Secrets & Lies on ABC and the upcoming Divorce on HBO and Santa Clarita Diet on Netflix (plus the Nicki Minaj project at Freeform).

Amblin TV got a pilot order for CBS drama Bull and a series order for American Gothic at CBS. The company also has drama series The Americans on FX.

Paramount TV‘s upcoming USA drama Shooter and The Alienist for TNT were presented at this week’s upfront, joining School Of Rock for Nickelodeon, the upcoming Berlin Station on Epix, and Jack Ryan currently pending at Amazon. At this upfront, Legendary TV landed its first broadcast series, ABC comedy Downward Dog, which joins the company’s returning USA drama Colony and Netflix comedy Love.

The Good Wife creators Robert and Michelle King are co-creating the upcoming spinoff series at CBS All Access, announced at the CBS upfront, which joins their upcoming CBS summer series BrainDead. Alex Kurtzman also is adding a new series for CBS All Access, the Star Trek reboot, to his current series Scorpion, Sleepy Hollow and Hawaii Five-0 with former partner Bob Orci.

Sarah Timberman and Carl Beverly‘s Timberman/Beverly Prods. added new CBS drama series Doubt to the returning Elementary and The Odd Couple on CBS and Masters Of Sex on Showtime. Jerry Bruckheimer TV added Training Day to returning Lucifer and The Amazing Race; Howard Gordon’s Teakwood Lane has the new 24: Legacy joining Showtime’s Homeland and FX’s Tyrant.

Warner Bros’ DC Entertainment added a comedy series to its broadcast portfolio with new NBC series Powerless, which joins returning Supergirl, Arrow, Flash, DC’s Legends Of Tomorrow and iZombie on the CW, and Gotham and Lucifer at Fox for a total of seven DC shows on broadcast TV next season.

Management/production company 3 Arts Entertainment is involved in producing five new broadcast comedy series in NBC’s Good Place, Good News and Marlon; CBS’ Man With A Plan starring Matt LeBlanc and Fox’s The Mick.

And feature helmer Len Wiseman extended his streak of every pilot he’s directed being picked up to series. The previous four — Hawaii Fix-0, Sleepy Hollow and Lucifer — are all still on the air, to be joined next season by new Fox drama APB.

BY THE NUMBERS:

(Pods/Independent production companies with multiple shows on the broadcast + major cable/digital networks):

Mark Gordon Co.: 7 (Designated Survivor, Conviction, Quantico, Grey’s Anatomy, Criminal Minds, Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders, Ray Donovan)

Berlanti Prods.: 6 (Riverdale, DC’s Legends Of Tomorrow, Blindspot, Supergirl, The Flash, Arrow)

Wolf Films: 6 (Law & Order: SVU, Chicago Fire, Chicago PD, Chicago Med, Chicago Justice, Law & Order: You The Jury)

Shondaland: 5 (Still Star-Crossed, The Catch, How To Get Away With Murder, Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal)

Kapital Entertainment: 5 (American Housewife, Life In Pieces, Secrets And Lies, Divorce, Santa Clarita Diet)

Davis Entertainment: 4 (The Blacklist, The Blacklist: Redemption, Timeless, Dr. Ken)

Timberman/Beverly: 4 (Doubt, The Odd Couple, Elementary, Masters Of Sex)

Ryan Murphy Prods.: 4 (Feud, Scream Queens, American Horror Story, American Crime Story)

Paramount TV: 4 (Shooter, The Alienist, School of Rock, Berlin Station)

K/O Paper Products/Secret Hideout: 4 (Scorpion, Hawaii Five-0, Sleepy Hollow, Star Trek)

Alloy Entertainment: 4 (Vampire Diaries, The Originals, The 100, Pretty Little Liars)

Amblin TV: 3 (Bull, American Gothic, The Americans)

Lord Miller: 3 (The Last Man on Earth, Son of Zorn, Making History)

Teakwood Lane: 3 (24: Legacy, Homeland, Tyrant)

Jerry Bruckheimer TV: 3 (Training Day, Lucifer, The Amazing Race)

The Tennenbaum Co: 3 (The Odd Couple, Young & Hungry, Impastor)

Electus: 3 (Jane The Virgin, No Tomorrow, Marco Polo)

The Firm: 3 (Notorious, Haters Back Off, Salem)

Bad Robot: 3 (Roadies, Westworld, 11/22/63)

Chuck Lorre Prods: 2 (Mom, The Big Bang Theory)

True Jack Prods: 2 (Pure Genius, The Path)

Hazy Mills: 2 (Grimm, Hollywood Game Night)

King Size Prods: 2 (BrainDead, The Good Wife spinoff)

Lin Pictures: 2 (Lethal Weapon, Frequency)

Little Stranger: 2 (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Great News)

My So-Called Company: 2 (The Vampire Diaries, The Originals)

Outerbanks: 2 (Time After Time, The Vampire Diaries)

Osprey Productions 2: (Notorious, Daytime Divas)

3 Arts (management/production company): 12 (The Good Place, Great News, Marlon, Man With A Plan, The Mick, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, The Mindy Project, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Master Of None, Baskets, It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia, Silicon Valley)