‘Avalon’: Dana Calvo Set As Showrunner On David E. Kelley’s ABC Drama

Dana Calvo (Good Girls Revolt) has been tapped as showrunner and executive producer on ABC’s Avalon, a drama series based on Michael Connelly’s short story, from David E. Kelley (Big Sky, Big Little Lies), A+E Studios and 20th Television. It’s slated to be part of ABC’s 2022-23 programming slate.

2022 ABC Pilots & Series Orders

Avalon, which received a straight-to-series order, takes place in the city of Avalon on Catalina Island, where L.A. Sheriff’s Department Detective Nicole “Nic” Searcy heads up a small office. Catalina has a local population that serves more than 1 million tourists a year, and each day when the ferries arrive, hundreds of potential new stories enter the island. Detective Searcy is pulled into a career-defining mystery that will challenge everything she knows about herself and the island.

Avalon is created and executive produced by Kelley, who will write the pilot episode, and Connelly. Calvo executive produces with Ross Fineman of Fineman Entertainment and Barry Jossen & Tana Jamieson for A+E Studios. Avalon is produced by A+E Studios and 20th Television.

Calvo was the creator and executive producer of Amazon’s critically acclaimed feminist drama Good Girls Revolt. She also launched and ran the writers room for Season 1 of Narcos. Prior to her segue to the TV and film industry, Calvo was an award-winning journalist for the Los Angeles Times, Tribune and The Associated Press. She’s repped by CAA, Manage-ment and Jackoway Austen Tyerman Wertherimer Madelbaum Morris Bernstein Trattner & Klein.