3 Female-fronted pilots we’re most excited for in 2019
By Mads Lennon
The 2019 television season is already shaping up to be an exciting one but I wanted to put a spotlight on some of the upcoming female-fronted TV pilots on the horizon with the hopes that one, or all, will be ordered to series.
We’re only a few days into January but I’m already thinking ahead to the many TV pilots currently in production. Highly anticipated shows like Watchmen, Lovecraft County, Good Trouble, Roswell, The Passage, I Am the Night, and Catch-22 are all set to debut this year but what’s even more exciting is thinking about the pilots we don’t know much about yet. Which of these will take us by surprise?
I’m particularly partial to television shows that star women so I’ve been focusing specifically on the pilots with females at the helm. I decided to compile a short list of a few pilots I’m most excited about and cross my fingers they get full-season pickups.
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Surveillance
If you’re a fan of Sophia Bush then you’ll be happy to know she may be returning the small screen sooner than you think. Bush will star as an NSA operative who must battle conflicting loyalties between her own secrets and that of the world.
Not only will the TV pilot star an established female actress, but the show will also feature a female director. Patricia Riggen (who also worked on the Amazon Prime series Jack Ryan) is set to direct the pilot and likely future installments should the show be ordered to series.
Surveillance is described as a complicated thriller featuring spies and given Sophia Bush’s political activism, I wouldn’t be surprised if Surveillance incorporated timely issues into the plot.
This will mark Sophia’s first official project with 20th TV after she inked an overall talent deal with them last year with a commitment to star in one of their upcoming tv pilots as well as assist in developing future projects as an executive producer. This is the first time CBS Studios has bought a FOX project in three years, according to Deadline.
Filthy Rich
Filthy Rich actually comes from the same studio as Surveillance, 20th Century FOX, although it will be airing on the FOX network rather than CBS. The show is being described as a “soapy Southern Gothic dramedy” as per Deadline.
I can see that being the case given the writer of the show also wrote and directed The Help (2011). To me, it sounds like a mix of Dynasty and the gone-but-not-forgotten GCB series.
There isn’t much in the way of plot description available for this TV pilot quite yet but Filthy Rich will focus on two career-driven women who will go to any lengths to protect their livelihood and their loved ones. One of the women will be the recently widowed wife of a powerful CEO whose death brings about his several illegitimate children all fighting for a piece of his estate.
Batwoman
We’ve already gotten a small taste of Ruby Rose’s Batwoman during the annual DCTV crossover and I, for one, liked what I saw. Kate Kane is one of the most popular superheroes and she is a member of the LGBT community as an out and proud lesbian. Rose too is a member of the LGBT community, which adds a nice layer of realism to the role.
While rumors of Batwoman getting her own television series to add to the CW’s lustrous DCTV line-up have been around for the better part of a year (ever since the announcement of Kane joining the crossover) now it finally looks like the CW is making good on that promise.
Yesterday it was announced that Batwoman was officially getting a pilot order and if it is successful then we’ll likely be looking to yet another superhero show on the roster. Supergirl won’t be the only super-woman leading her own show. It’ll be nice to see more variety in the realm of superheroes.
David Nutter is set to direct the pilot and while it would have been nice to have a woman directing this particular project, Nutter is an accomplished director in the realm of pilots and has worked on shows like Smallville, Arrow, The Flash, Game of Thrones, Shameless, and countless others. If anyone can ensure this show is successful, he can.
With Captain Marvel and the Wonder Woman sequel both due to arrive in the nearby future, it seems like tides may finally be turning – although we still have a long way to go.
Which of these pilots do you most hope gets ordered to series? Are you looking forward to any other 2019 TV pilots? Hit the comments below and let us know what you think!