Adoption Family Drama From ‘Galavant’ Trio With Put Pilot Commitment Among 3 Projects Set Up At ABC By Random Hill
ABC has given a put pilot commitment to Heartland, a one-hour family drama written by Kat Likkel, John Hoberg and Jeremy Hall, who previously worked together on ABC’s Galavant. The project hails from Jon Harmon Feldman and Jennifer Gwartz’s Random Hill, one of three sales at ABC for the recently launched company, along with Acquired and New World. ABC Studios, where Random Hill is under an overall deal, is the studio on all three, with Feldman and Gwartz executive producing.
Heartland is described as an unconventional family drama about a couple who adopt a new baby — and the baby’s teenage birth mother. Likkel and Hoberg executive produce, with Hall co-exec producing.
Acquired, written/executive produced by Robby Hull and Feldman, centers on an angry, acerbic widower who had retreated from the world after the death of his wife years ago. As a result of a freak accident, he now finds himself with a genius-level intellect which he will semi-willingly use to help a homicide detective solve San Francisco’s most perplexing murders.
New World, written/executive produced by Daniel Thomsen, revolves around two estranged brothers who, after the death of their father, try to reconnect by taking their families on a trip together. But when their boat crashes, the two families find themselves trapped on a deserted island and must battle the elements (and their secrets) to not only survive but to build a life for themselves in this new home.
Additionally, Random Hill has optioned Alice Berman’s upcoming book Lost Boys and Technicolor Girls via ABC Signature to develop as a cable series. In it, ultra-privileged children of the Upper East Side have their lives upended when one of their best friends disappears without a trace. Over the next seven years, the search to uncover what happened to him reveals old secrets and even older betrayals. What really happened to that boy, lost so long ago?
Likkel and Hoberg have long history at ABC and ABC Studios. They served as showrunners on the second season of Galavant, Dan Fogelman’s quirky medieval musical comedy for ABC/ABC Studios, as well as on Downward Dog last season’s ABC comedy from Legendary TV & ABC Studios, which lasted six episodes this past season before it was canceled. The pair also were co-executive producers on ABC/ABC Studios’ Black-ish as well as My Name Is Earl and Better Off Ted. Hall was a writer on both Fogelman ABC/ABC Studios series, Galavant and The Neighbors.
Likkel and Hoberg are repped by UTA, Industry Entertainment and Jackoway Tyerman. Hall is repped by Paradigm and Myman Greenspan. Feldman and Gwartz are repped by WME. Thomsen is repped by WME and 3 Arts.