I have been engaged by the American cable company AMC to write the half-hour pilot for a TV series I created. The contract calls the show “black comedy/science fiction.” Christina Wayne at AMC, who, along with Vlad Wolynetz have just been unreasonably good to deal with, recently described it as a “sf/entertainment-industry ‘dramedy’.”
As with all TV Things, everything could go horribly wrong. But this is the deal I’ve been waiting for, with people who understand the project and format I want to work in. And you know something’s going right when people in TV are telling you to go more experimental and take more risks. This isn’t your US network tv experience.
I’m writing the pilot at the moment. (And I should particularly thank Joss Whedon and John Rogers for their insights into the process.) More details will hopefully follow as the project progresses. Or, you know, a tearstained screed if it doesn’t.
Note that this isn't Ellis' first attempt at a TV series. He did a pilot for his comic Global Frequency, which the WB ultimately ended up passing on (I've heard the pilot can be found through various P2P means, but I have yet to look for it).
Yeah, it's pretty goddamn funny. Hope this works out.
That the saints may enjoy their beatitude and the grace of God more abundantly they are permitted to see the punishment of the damned in hell. -Saint Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica
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