Amazon today announced the lineup for its first pilot season of 2015 which is scheduled to debut early in the new year exclusively on Amazon Instant Video in the US, UK and Germany. Customers will find a wide-range of genres in this latest slate of pilots—from a close-up look at a family torn apart by the start of the Civil War in Virginia and an adaptation of Phillip K. Dick’s alternate history of the United States post-World War II, to a satire of new age yoga culture in west Los Angeles and the story of a supermodel fresh out of rehab who is unapologetically trying to claw her way back on to the runway. In addition to these pilots, Amazon will premiere its first docu-series pilot, The New Yorker Presents, which will bring the pages of America’s most award-winning magazine to life.Once again, customers will be invited to watch and provide feedback on the shows they want to see turned into full series. The pilots can be viewed on Fire TV, Fire tablets, and Fire phone, and with the Amazon Instant Video app available for iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, Roku, Xbox, PlayStation, Wii, as well as hundreds of other connected devices such as smart TVs—or customers can visit Amazon.com/AIV to watch online.
The seven new pilots premiering early next year will include hour-long shows Cocked from Sam Baum (Lie to Me) and Sam Shaw (Manhattan – TV series), Mad Dogs from Cris Cole (The Bill) and Shawn Ryan (The Shield), The Man in the High Castle from Frank Spotnitz (The X-Files), and Point of Honor from Carlton Cuse (Lost) and Randall Wallace (Braveheart). In addition, three half hour pilots will debut including Down Dog from Robin Schiff (Are You There, Chelsea?) and Salem Rogers from newcomer Lindsey Stoddart, as well as The New Yorker Presents, a docu-series pilot produced in cooperation with America’s most award-winning magazine. The program will include scripted narrative and documentary segments based on the magazine and is produced by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney's Jigsaw Productions and Condé Nast Entertainment.
A&E Network has given the greenlight to ten episodes of the new original scripted drama series The Returned, a co-production of A+E Studios and FremantleMedia North America. Carlton Cuse (Bates Motel) wrote the first episode, and he and Raelle Tucker (True Blood) will write and executive produce the series. Casting will begin immediately. The announcement was made today by David McKillop, General Manager and Executive Vice President of A&E Network.