Following a season in which Fox was saddled with double-digit ratings losses and a weak bench, the network is looking to bulk up its options heading into the 2013-14 season.
Having already renewed scripted entries Glee, Bones, New Girl, Raising Hope, The Following and The Mindy Project, the network is looking to fill what few holes it has with stars including Oscar nominee Greg Kinnear, Karl Urban and Ramon Rodriguez. Less than year after Fringe ended its run, Fox is turning to the beloved sci-fi drama's producers J.H. Wyman, J.J. Abrams (Almost Human) and Roberto Orci (Sleepy Hollow) for new fare.
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It is worth noting that Fox has ordered four drama pilots to series, doubling last year's particularly small commitment. The latter included since canceled The Mob Doctor as well as midseason effort The Following.
Pilots not moving forward at Fox are Boomerang, Delirium and The List, with Wild Blue pushed off-cycle.
Here's a look at which of its 16 pilots (eight dramas and eight comedies) have been ordered to series -- in addition to the six-episode live-action comedy Dads, from Seth MacFarlane and the writers behind Ted:
Almost Human (previously Human, the untitled Bad Robot/J.H. Wyman project)
Logline: The action-packed police drama is set 35 years in the future, when police officers are partnered with highly evolved human-like androids. An unlikely connection is forged when a cop with an aversion to robots and a robot with unexpected emotional responses investigate cases in a brave new world.
Cast: Karl Urban, Michael Ealy (Common Law), Lili Taylor, Mackenzie Crook, Michael Irby, Minka Kelly, Mekia Cox (guest)
Team: W/EP J.H. Wyman (Fringe); EP J.J. Abrams, Bryan Burk; co-EP Kathy Lingg, Reid Shane; co-EP/D Brad Anderson
Studio: Warner Bros. Television, Bad Robot Productions, Bonanza Productions
Gang Related
Logline: A rising star in L.A.'s elite Gang Task Force (Ramon Rodriguez) is teamed with longtime member Cassius Green (RZA) to take on three of the city's most dangerous gangs -- including one he has ties to.
Cast: Ramon Rodriguez (Charlie's Angels), RZA, Jay Hernandez, Sung Kang (Fast and Furious), Inbar Lavi, Cliff Curtis, Shantel VanSanten, Tom Berenger Terry O'Quinn
Team: W/EP Chris Morgan (Fast and Furious); EP Scott Rosenbaum, Brian Grazer, Francie Calfo; EP/D Allen Hughes
Studio: 20th Television, Imagine Entertainment, Chris Morgan Productions, Skeeter Rosenbaum Productions
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Rake
Logline: Greg Kinnear makes his broadcast TV series debut as a brilliant but self-destructive criminal defense lawyer named Keegan Joye in a drama based on the Australian series of the same name.
Cast: Greg Kinnear, Miranda Otto, John Ortiz, Necar Zadegan, Bojana Novakovic, Tara Summers, David Harbour (guest star), Ian Colletti
Team: W/EP Peter Duncan (creator of the Australian version), Peter Tolan (Rescue Me); EP Michael Wimer (2012), Richard Roxburgh, Ian Collie; co-EP Greg Kinnear; D/EP Sam Raimi
Studio: Sony Pictures Television, Fedora Entertainment, Essential Media & Entertainment
Sleepy Hollow
Logline: A modern-day retelling of Washington Irving's classic. The supernatural thriller centers on Ichabod Crane (Tom Mison) who is resurrected and pulled two and a half centries through time to find the world on the brink of destruction. With Crane as humanity's last hope, he's teamed with a contemporary police officer (Nicole Beharie) to unravel the mystery.
Cast: Tom Mison (Salmon Fishing in the Yemen), Nicole Beharie (Shame), Orlando Jones, Katia Winter, John Cho (guest star)
Team: W/EP: Alex Kurtzman, Bob Orci (Fringe); W/Supervising producer: Phil Iscove; EP: Heather Kadin; D/EP Len Wiseman
Studio: 20th Television, K/O Paper Products
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