Procter & Gamble Backs Another Family Friendly TV Movie/Backdoor Pilot On NBC

Consumer product giant Procter & Gamble is gearing up for a fifth family friendly 2-hour movie/backdoor pilot to air on NBC as a time buy. The project, Passport, stars Robyn Lively as Meredith, an expert chef skilled in Piloxing (Pilates mixed with boxing) who is raising her teen kids alone because of her geologist husband Simon’s (Loren Dean) erratic travel schedule. When Simon doesn’t return home from his latest trip, Michelle launches an investigation and discovers that he has been leading a double-life as a covert intelligence operative with CAD (Clandestine Activities Division). Along her teenage daughter (Skyler Day), she travels to Europe to save Simon, who was abducted during his latest mission and  must work together with his captor to bring down a traitor at CAD. Joel Rice, Jeff Grant & Brian Wells are executive producing the movie, which was written by Sheryl Anderson and will be directed by Paolo Garzman. Production is slated to begin in early April start in Montreal. P&G and Walmart’s first 3 movies/backdoor pilots that aired on NBC as time buys, Secrets of the Mountain, The Jensen Project and A Walk in My Shoes, ran on Friday. Secrets of the Mountain, which aired in-season, did respectable business, winning its slot with 7.8 million viewers and a 1.3/5 in 18-49. Jensen, which aired in the summer, did far worse, 3.9 million, 0.9. None of the three has spawned a series. The fourth movie, Magic Eye, is targeted to air on June 11, a Saturday. P&G also recently backed 2-hour movie/backdoor pilot Dear Annie, which will air as a time buy on Fox. Lively and Dean are repped by Fortitude, Dean is managed by Anonymous. Day is with Main Title and Corsa.