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The CW Projects for the 2019 Pilot Season

The first of five exhaustive lists of every project in development this year at the broadcast networks.
  • THE 4400 REBOOT (CBS Television Studios)  Sci-fi drama by Craig Sweeny (Limitless, Medium) & Taylor Elmore (Justified). Over the course of recent history, four thousand four hundred young adults in their reproductive prime have gone missing all over the world—some disappearances happened as recently as a few weeks ago, while others date as far back as the infamous day the Soviets launched the Sputnik satellite in 1957. One day in 2019, all 4,400 show up at the sites of their original abductions. None of them have aged a day; none have any memory of where they’ve been. The so called “4400” must grapple with their return to a changed and hostile world… and also contend with the reality that they’ve come back altered in ways that none of them yet understand.

    BATWOMAN (Warner Bros. Television)    Superhero drama from the Arrow-verse by Greg Berlanti & Caroline Dries (The Vampire Diaries, Smallville). Armed with a passion for social justice and a flair for speaking her mind, Kate Kane soars onto the streets of Gotham as Batwoman, an out lesbian and highly trained street fighter primed to snuff out the failing city’s criminal resurgence. But don’t call her a hero yet. In a city desperate for a savior, Kate must overcome her own demons before embracing the call to be Gotham’s symbol of hope. Starring Ruby Rose

    CITY OF GHOSTS (Warner Bros. Television)    Fantasy drama by I. Marlene King (Pretty Little Liars), Karen Wyscarver (Private Practice) & Sanford Golden (Bones, Taken). After a near-death experience, college grad Cassidy moves to Scotland to study paranormal psychology at the University of Edinburgh in hopes of learning more about her strange connection to the afterlife. There she meets the enigmatic Dr. Barrow and discovers that her gift is more powerful that she ever thought possible.

    THE COVE (Warner Bros. Television)    Family adventure by Chad Fiveash (Kyle XY, Rise, Krypton), James Stoteraux (Switched at Birth, Legend of the Seeker) & Robert Zemeckis (Manifest). Follows estranged sisters in the aftermath of their father’s death as they return to the Caribbean resort island they frequented as a family, only to discover the sun-drenched paradise is hiding many secrets, including the missing treasure that was their father’s obsession and may ultimately hold the key to eternal life.

    DORIAN (Warner Bros. Television)   Fantasy dramedy by Marisa Coughlan & Len Goldstein (The Carrie Diaries, Cult). Centers on a woman who made a deal with the devil 50 years ago to remain young has spent the subsequent decades living selfishly and without consequences. As the downsides of eternal youth finally land on her, Dorian is ready to grow up and age gracefully, but, to do so, she’ll have to make amends for half a century of bad behavior.

    DR MIRAGE (CBS Television Studios)  Fantasy drama by Laurie McCarth (Reign). Based on the Valiant graphic novel. About a female paranormal investigator who can communicate with dead souls except the one she wants to reach – the love of her life.

    FINLEY & JUNE (CBS Television Studios)  Dramedy by Anna Fricke (Men In Trees, Being Human US) & Rina Mimoun (Everwood, Mistresses, Privileged). When a tightly-wound aspiring children’s book author meets an actual fairy with rage issues in a Griffith Park restroom, the magic of female friendship takes on literal new meaning as the two millennials help each other navigate hipster LA in the quest to fulfill their destinies.

    GLAMOROUS (CBS Television Studios)  Dramedy by Damon Wayans Jr. (Happy Together) & Jordon Nardino (Star Trek Discovery, Quantico, GCB). Centers on a recent gender non-conforming high school graduate who lands the gig of a lifetime interning at the Manhattan cosmetics company whose products he panned on YouTube. But not everyone is happy to have him there, and they are doing everything they can to take him down.

    GOOD CHRISTIAN BITCHES (CBS Television Studios/ABC Studios)  Soap drama by Leila Cohan-Miccio (Awkward.), Darren Star (Melrose Place, Sex & The City, Younger) & Aaron Kaplan. Inspired by Kim Gatlin’s book of the same name. Follows the clergy and parishioners of Flock, a hip church plant in Austin where prayers and worship music cover up a multitude of sins and secrets.

    THE L.A. COMPLEX REBOOT (Warner Bros. Television)   Dramedy by Martin Gero (Blindspot) & Brendan Gall. Revolve around a new crop of tenants who move into the Luxe hotel in the heart of Hollywood – a ragtag commune of twentysomethings all hustling to make it as actors, dancers, producers or comedians

    LEAN ON ME (Warner Bros. Television)  Inspired by the 1989 film that starred Morgan Freeman. Highschool drama by Wendy Calhoun (Nashville, Empire, Revenge) & Lebron James. When a spirited young black teacher Amarie Baldwin scores the principal job at an Akron, Ohio, public high school, she must dig deep to transform a failing campus into an urban oasis. In a time when education and school safety have life-or-death stakes, Amarie will take on a broken system that tests her mettle, love life and family. But can she keep her moxie in check in order to embody the aspirational educator that motivates and uplifts an entire community.

    LIFEBOAT CLIQUE (CBS Television Studios)  Drama by Jerry Bruckheimer (CSI, Cold Case, Lucifer), Jonathan Littman, KristieAnn Reed & Katie Wech (Star, Rizzoli & Isles). About when a freak tsunami hits a Malibu house party, a group of teenagers from diverse social circles are swept out to sea; the place where they wind up is new, but the high school politics and social hierarchies that emerge are not

    NANCY DREW (CBS Television Studios)  Mystery Drama by Josh Schwartz & Stephanie Savage (Gossip Girl, Dynasty, Chuck, The OC). Centered on 18-year-old Nancy Drew in the summer after her high school graduation. Nancy thought she’d be leaving her hometown for college, but when a family tragedy holds her back another year, she finds herself embroiled in a ghostly murder investigation — and along the way, she uncovers secrets that run deeper than she ever imagined.

    NOBODY’S PRINCESS (Warner Bros. Television)  Musical dramedy by James Corden (Carpool Karaoke), Erin Cardillo & Richard Keith (Life Sentence, Significant Mother). Reimagines the stories of four classic fairy tale princesses for today’s generation. Instead of being set “once upon a time, in a land far away” where princesses were waiting around for true love to find them, the time is now, the setting is New York City, and the princesses are a group of friends in their twenties who are setting out to change the world and create their happily-ever-afters on their own terms.

    NO HARD FEELINGS (CBS Television Studios)  Dark comedy by Brad Silberling (Charmed, Dynasty), Gus Hickey (Suburgatory) & Jordan Reddout (Man with a Plan). About a group of friends who conspire to exact revenge on an old rival who assaulted one of their own and got away with it back in college.

    THE PROGENY (CBS Television Studios)  Thriller drama by Chris Roberts (Orphan Black), based on Tosca Lee’s bestselling book. Centers on a young amnesiac who discovers she’s a descendant of history’s greatest murderess, plunging her into a deadly underground war as she fights to stop a secret society that has preyed on her kind for centuries.

    RUTHLESS (CBS Television Studios)   Thriller drama by George Olson & Michael Weatherly (NCIS, Bull). About an ex-CIA operative, desperate for a normal life after a decade spent as a government killing machine, and a slightly unhinged teenage girl craving an escape from the mundane, who are forced into an unlikely alliance

    THE STRANGE CASE OF THE ALCHEMIST DAUGHTER (CBS Television Studios)  Thriller drama by Glenn Geller & AJ Marechal (The First). Small screen take on the novels by fantasy author Theodora Goss. Set in Victorian London where two radically different young women – one the daughter of Dr. Jekyll; the other, Mr. Hyde – discover they’re half-sisters when a series of gruesome murders appear connected to their deceased father. They unite with other unsung but remarkable daughters of famous literary figures to rise above societal norms and unearth the mystery of their origins.

    STRONG GIRL (CBS Television Studios)   Superhero drama by Melissa Scrivner-Love (Person Of Interest, Fear the Walking Dead), Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Ronda Rousey & Ben Silverman (Jane the Virgin, No Tomorrow). It follows a former war photographer named Rayna who discovers she is indestructible and potentially the strongest woman in the world. Ghosted by her Spec Ops fiance when she reveals her newfound power to him, Rayna is hired as a bodyguard by a billionaire named Oliver, who sees her true potential.

    SUPER CLEAN (CBS Television Studios)  Superhero dramedy by Sascha Rothchild (GLOW, The Carrie Diaries). Based on the upcoming graphic novel by Heath Amodio and Cullen Bunn. Explores the superhero genre from the human side. Becky Masters, an uber-organized and brilliant human, and her ragtag team of non-powered cohorts navigate the danger and drama of “cleaning up” after superheroes and villains, all while Becky works to prove her superhero boyfriend is innocent of a dastardly crime.

    SURVIVOR’S CLUB (Warner Bros. Television)  Fantasy drama based on the comics from DC’s Vertigo, by Jared Frieder (Sweet/Vicious) & Len Golstein (The Carrie Diaries, Cult). In a world where horror franchise monsters are real, twins Jason and Jennifer barely survived a demonic childhood possession that claimed their mother’s life and fractured their bond. Ten years later, when a new evil force awakens, the siblings join forces with other teen survivors to combat the literal and metaphorical monsters that haunt them.

    UNTITLED JANE THE VIRGIN SPIN-OFF (CBS Television Studios)  Soapy Dramedy by Jennie Snyder Urman (Jane The Virgin, Charmed), Valentina Garza, Gina Rodriguez, Ben Silverman & Brad Silberling. The spinoff is envisioned as a soapy, telenovela-inspired anthology series in the tradition of Jane the Virgin, where each season is based on a different fictional novel “written by” Jane Villanueva and narrated by her.

    UNTITLED RIVERDALE SPIN-OFF (Warner Bros. Television)  Drama by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (Riverdale, The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina). Spin-off series that will be "very different” from Riverdale

    Jean-Maxime Renault is a TV addict based in Paris who writes about television and movies on AlloCiné (aka "the French IMDB"). In 2015 he created Season Zero, a website about television development and pilot season, which is now a part of Primetimer. Follow him on Twitter @SeasonZeroCom

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