10 Biggest Winners of TV Development Season

This story first appeared in the Nov. 25 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine.our editor recommendsBen Stiller's Shingle Inks TV Development Deal With ABC StudiosSarah Chalke Lands 20th TV Development Deal "An invitation to an invitation to a pre-party." That's how ABC chief Paul Lee describes his network's fall script purchases, only a tiny percentage of which will end up on the air. Still, every hit show starts with an executive saying yes to a pitch, and during the past few months, networks sand studios have bought hundreds of promising new projects, from original ideas like "mechanical-human dramas" to remakes of classics like The Munsters and The Rifleman. Now, with the pitch portion of development season nearing its end, The Hollywood Reporter is crowning the 10 biggest winners, based on volume of network sales rather than size of commitment or fees paid. Note: The most active producers based on number of network projects sold (not prices paid or pilot commitments). PETER CHERNIN The Chernin Group, 20th Century Fox TV | 16 projects sold Highlight:NBC'sUntitledGene Hong, an ensemble comedy set in a karaoke bar withThe VoicecoachAdam Levineattached as an EP. The network has given a script commitment with penalty. MARK GORDON Mark Gordon Co., ABC Studios | 14 projects sold Highlight:CBS has given a script plus penalty commitment toSource Code, an action/procedural that follows three former federal agents who are part of a top-secret program; loosely based on the Gordon-produced feature film. PETER TRAUGOTT Peter Traugott Productions, Universal Television | 13 projects sold Highlight:ABC has given a script order toI'm With Stupid, a buddy comedy withParty DownduoMartin StarrandRyan Hansen. Starr will pen the script alongsideBetter Off Ted'sJustin Adler. JAMIE TARSES Fanfare Productions, Sony Pictures TV | 12 projects sold Highlight:Fox has doled out a script order for an untitled single-camera father-son workplace comedy in which the son is the boss, fromWilfredscribesReed AgnewandEli Jorne. SHAWN LEVY and MARTY ADELSTEIN 21 Laps/Adelstein, 20th TV | 11 projects sold Highlight:NBC has given a script plus penalty commitment to aRomancing the Stoneadaptation fromThe ForgottencreatorMark Friedman, with Levy (Date Night) attached to direct. BRIAN GRAZER Imagine Entertainment, 20th TV | 10 projects sold Highlight:NBC has given a script plus penalty order to an hourlong legal drama from TV legendsSteven BochcoandDavid Milchabout a "rainmaker" lawyer in Washington, D.C., with a dark secret. AARON KAPLAN Kapital Entertainment | 10 projects sold Highlight:NBC has given a pilot order toIsabel, a comedy inspired by a French-Canadian series about a normal family with magical elements from scribesHoward BusgangandTom Nursall. VIVIAN CANNON and NEAL MORITZ Original Films, Sony Pictures TV | 9 projects sold Highlight:John Scott Shepherd's comedySave Me, which NBC granted a cast-contingent pilot order, centers on a woman who believes she's channeling God. JOANN ALFANO Brillstein Entertainment Group, ABC Studios | 8 projects sold Highlight:CSIcreatorAnthony ZuikerandWorld Trade CenterwriterAndrea Berloffhave soldChameleon, a drama centering on an undercover FBI agent who is a master of disguise. DOUG ROBINSON Happy Madison, Sony Pictures TV | 8 projects sold Highlight:Rules of EngagementcreatorTom Hertz's multicamera generational family comedy exploring how childhood affects adult decisions has received a put pilot commitment from CBS. Related Topics Brian Grazer Peter Chernin TV Development Jamie Tarses The Mark Gordon Company