#Derrel Anthony

[writemarcus]

Heartbeat Opera Announces 2021-2022 Season

Highlights include MESSY MESSIAH, FIDELIO, and more.

by Chloe Rabinowitz

Aug. 10, 2021  

HEARTBEAT OPERA will return to the in-person stage for its eighth season this year. Heartbeat's 2021-22 season kicks off in September with a free outdoor screening of BREATHING FREE, their visual album that connects Beethoven's Fidelio with the work of Black composers and lyricists such as Harry T. Burleigh, Langston Hughes, and Anthony Davis to manifest a dream of justice, equity, and breathing free. BREATHING FREE builds on Heartbeat's 2018 work with incarcerated singers and prison choirs, and continues its exploration of race and the American prison system. Then in December, Heartbeat's beloved annual drag extravaganza, MESSY MESSIAH, returns after six years of Halloween shenanigans for a new Christmas special. Looking ahead to winter 2022, Heartbeat plans to go on its first-ever tour, remounting its production of FIDELIO, which Joshua Barone of The New York Times called "urgent, powerful, and poignant," for seven performances across four cities, kicking off at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Heartbeat will later present its pilot production of NO EVIL projects, QUANDO, ossia Project "0," which is co-produced with Long Beach Opera and refashions music from Verdi's operas La Traviata and Don Carlo and Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice into a 25-minute short film. Heartbeat also continues to work on its first-ever commission, THE EXTINCTIONIST, an opera by Heartbeat Co-Music Director Daniel Schlosberg, librettist Amanda Quaid, and Heartbeat Co-Founder & Resident Director Louisa Proske. The Extinctionist wrestles with climate catastrophe and with one woman's unorthodox choice, with the goal of presenting its world premiere in winter 2023.

At the helm are Artistic Director Ethan Heard, Associate Artistic Director Derrell Acon, Co-Music Directors Jacob Ashworth and Daniel Schlosberg, and Managing Director Annie Middleton. Heartbeat Opera was founded in 2014 and has since grown from an indie "start up" into an internationally recognized player, consistently hailed as a leader in envisioning the future of opera.

The 2021-22 Season

BREATHING FREE, a visual album

September 18 at Pier 63, Hudson River Park Trust At dusk A free outdoor screening with live performances (Additional future screenings TBA)

Focusing on Black empowerment in the arts

Featuring excerpts from Beethoven's Fidelio, Negro Spirituals, and songs by

Harry T. Burleigh,

Florence Price

,

Langston Hughes

,

Anthony Davis

,

Thulani Davis

Director:

Ethan Heard

Filmmaker: Anaiis Cisco

Creative Producer: Ras Dia

Co-Music Directors: Jacob Ashworth & Daniel Schlosberg

Movement Director: Emma Jaster

Watch Breathing Free Trailer

2021 Drama League Award Nominee for Outstanding Digital Concert Production

In 2018, Heartbeat collaborated with 100 incarcerated singers in six prison choirs to create a contemporary American Fidelio told through the lens of Black Lives Matter. In 2020-the year of George Floyd's murder, a pandemic which ravages our prison population, and the 250th anniversary of Beethoven's birth-they curated a song cycle, brought to life in vivid music videos, mingling excerpts from Fidelio with Negro Spirituals and songs by Black composers and lyricists, which together manifest a dream of justice, equity... and breathing free.

Jamilyn Manning-White in DRAGUS MAXIMUS, photo by Andrew Boyle

MESSY MESSIAH

December 16 at 8pm and December 17 at 7 and 9:30pm at Roulette in Brooklyn

Directed by

Ethan Heard

Music Directed by Jacob Ashworth

Arranged by Daniel Schlosberg

Watch WNET's ALL ARTS feature on Heartbeat's drag extravaganzas

Heartbeat's beloved annual drag opera extravaganza returns in all its glory this December. Over the past seven years, Heartbeat has presented six fabulous extravaganzas at venues across Brooklyn: Hot Mama: Singing Gays Saving Gaia; Dragus Maximus: a homersexual opera odyssey; All the World's a Drag! Shakespeare in love...with opera; Queens of the Night: Mozart in Space; Miss Handel; and Purcell's The Fairy Queen. These interdisciplinary celebrations playfully mix opera classics with pop culture and drag to create an otherworldly experience that encourages audience members to embrace opera in new ways.

This year, the show moves to December-just in time for Christmas. Featuring familiar tunes by Handel, Tchaikovsky, Berlin, and many more, this naughty pageant celebrates the holidays with wit and warmth. Expect tradition...with a peppermint twist.

Kelly Griffin in FIDELIO, photo by Russ Rowland

FIDELIO

Heartbeat's first tour

February 10, 12 & 14, 2022 at Met Live Arts, New York City February 19 at The Mondavi Center, UC Davis, California February 22 at The Scottsdale Performing Arts Center, Arizona February 26 & 27 at The Broad Stage, Santa Monica, California

Music by Ludwig van Beethoven Original libretto by Joseph Sonnleithner & Georg Friedrich Sonnleithner Adapted & Directed by Ethan Heard Arranged & Music Directed by Daniel Schlosberg New English Dialogue Co-Written by Marcus Scott & Ethan Heard Featuring Derrell Acon (Roc), Curtis Bannister (Stan), Kelly Griffin (Leah), Victoria Lawal (Marcy), Tim Mix (Pizarro) and more than 100 incarcerated singers in six prison choirs

Heartbeat was planning to take its Fidelio on tour in 2020, the 250th anniversary of Beethoven's birth. Then the pandemic hit, affecting incarcerated people especially and forcing them to postpone the tour. Then George Floyd was murdered, sparking a much-needed racial reckoning. Now, with humility and a renewed sense of purpose, Heartbeat has the opportunity to bring the tour back and even expand it. The story of their Fidelio is more urgent and timely than ever:

A Black activist is wrongfully incarcerated. His wife, Leah, disguises herself to infiltrate the system and free him. But when injustice reigns, one woman's grit may not be enough to save her love. Featuring the voices of imprisoned people, this daring adaptation pits corruption against courage, hate against hope.

Heartbeat is thrilled to continue its work on this Fidelio, updating the libretto for our current moment, deepening the company's commitment to anti-racism in all that they do, collaborating more with their prison choir partners, sharing the production, and sparking important conversations. This tour is Heartbeat's largest and most ambitious venture yet. They have the opportunity to reach thousands of new audience members, including hundreds of young people, in four cities across the country.

QUANDO, ossia Project "0"

In-person screenings w/live performances in NY and Long Beach, April 2022 A co-production with Long Beach Opera The pilot production of NO EVIL Projects

Creative Produced by Derrell Acon Music Directed and Arranged by Daniel Schlosberg In-person screenings with live performances in New York and Long Beach in April 2022 (dates TBC)

Some of the most beautiful and famous music from the operatic canon becomes the landscape for this fierce social satire of sex, activism, and the performance of everyday life. Music from Verdi's operas La Traviata and Don Carlo and Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice are repurposed and refashioned into a 25-minute short film that follows a starry-eyed young couple as their night on the town unravels into a surrealist swirl of decadence, intrigue, and ultimately, vengeful justice.

The short film, a co-production with Long Beach Opera and produced by Heartbeat's newly-appointed Associate Artistic Director Derrell Acon, will be screened as is, and then followed by a second presentation that features live composer-performers actively disrupting and reconstituting the music from the score for a one-of-a-kind theatrical experience. No two performances will be the same, as the ending will change with each iteration of the live performances, and audiences will be challenged to re-examine their perceptions of art and its role in societal transformation.NO EVIL is an initiative meant to create a self-replenishing fund of seed money for new projects in the opera field by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color) creators. Acon is in conversation with OPERA America, the Sphinx Foundation, and other industry colleagues about the full structure of NO EVIL Projects, which has an anticipated launch of 2022.Says Acon: "As Arts Equity Specialist for the OPERA America New Works Forum, I had the opportunity to facilitate all-BIPOC adjudication panels for granting, and was deeply impressed by the nuance of perspective and intentionality centered in those discussions. I am convinced that the financial barriers experienced by marginalized creators in the field require even more attention and action-and, frankly, MONEY!"

THE EXTINCTIONIST

A new one act opera

Music by Daniel Schlosberg

Libretto by

Amanda Quaid

, based on her play

Directed, Conceived, and Developed by

Louisa Proske

Music Directed by Jacob Ashworth

World Premiere Production Coming in Winter 2023

During the 2020-21 season, Heartbeat Opera commissioned its first-ever opera, The Extinctionist, a one-act work that grapples with the catastrophic effects of climate change and one woman's unorthodox choice to sterilize herself to save the planet and become the very first "Extinctionist." The dark comedy turns one woman's body into the battlefield of our political anguish, conflicting desires, and individual responsibility.

This past May, The Exctintionist was featured in The New York Times, which chronicled Heartbeat's longtime commitment to reimagining classic works and its new expansion into commissioning. A semi-staged production of the opera was presented in May 2021 at PS21 in Chatham, New York, and the world premiere is slated for Winter 2023.

[jbgravereaux]

Nathan Granner as Khorey Wise, Cedric Berry as Yusef Salaam, Derrell Acon as Antron McCray, Orson Van Gay as Raymond Santana, and Bernard Holcomb as Kevin Richardson in The Central Park Five (Photo: Keith Ian Polakoff)                                                                                                                                          Anthony Davis’ The Central Park Five — Opera as Mirror of Modern Society,    by George Preston | July 19, 2019                                                                                                                                                                                                  Classical and jazz composer-pianist Anthony Davis is known for writing operas based on historical figures, notably X, The Life and Times of Malcolm X (which was his first opera) and Amistad (which premiered at Lyric Opera of Chicago in 1997). His latest opera, The Central Park Five, with a libretto by Richard Wesley, premiered in June 2019 at Long Beach Opera, depicts people who are still very much with us and explores issues that are in the headlines today.                                                                                                                                                        In 1989 and 1990, the Central Park Five case captured widespread attention and controversy, as five black and Hispanic young men were arrested, charged, and convicted in the assault and rape of a white woman who was attacked in Central Park. The five men’s charges were vacated in 2002, when another man confessed to the crime. Davis, who was living in New York during the trial and aftermath, followed the intense news coverage of the attack and trials, including widely reported commentary by Donald Trump, who is a character in the opera. While creating the opera, Davis also spoke directly with members of the Central Park Five, Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana, and Kharey Wise (later Korey)...                                                                                                                                                                                                        Anthony Davis' The Central Park Five — Opera as Mirror of ...

[madonnahistoryoriginalpage]

MADAME ❌ TOUR CREDITS SHOW Created and directed by Madonna Jamie King – Creative Producer Megan Lawson – Co-Director and Lead Choreographer Damien Jalet – Creative Advisor Luigi Murenu & Iango Henzi – Creative Consultants Carla Kama – Associate Creative Producer Tiffany Olson – Associate Creative Producer Stephanie Roos – Associate Creative Producer Al Gurdon – Lighting Designer Stufish Entertainment Architects – Set Design BAND Madonna Kevin Antunes – Musical Director Monte Pittman – Guitar Gaspar Varela – Guitar Rickey Pageot – Piano, Accordion & Percussion Jessica Pina – Trumpet & Background Vocalist Ademiro “Miroca” Paris – Percussion & Guitar Carlos Mil-Homens – Percussion Francesca Dardani – Violin Celia Hatton – Viola Mariko Muranaka – Cello Andrea “Munchie” Lanz – Background Vocalist Dana “Yazarah” Williams – Background Vocalist PERFORMERS Ahlamalik Williams – Dancer Marvin Gofin – Dancer Mccall Olsen – Dancer Baylie Olsen – Dancer Allaune Blegbo – Dancer Sasha Mallory – Dancer Loic Mabanza – Dancer Daniele Sibili – Dancer Sierra Herrera-Grey – Dancer Chaz Buzan – Dancer Nicolas Huchard – Dancer Ai Shimatsu – M Stand In BATUKADEIRAS Jussara Spencer Anastacia Carvalho Edna Oliveira Jessica Eliane Tavares Irina Paula Carvalho Darlene Barreto Catia Ramos Antonia Tavares Keila Cabral Ellah Barbosa Iara Xavier Santos Jacira Duarte Etelvina “Bianina” Tavares Idilsa Tavares CHOREOGRAPHERS Megan Lawson Matt Cady Marvin Gofin Damien Jalet Nicolas Huchard Baylie Olsen Mccall Olsen Ahlamalik Williams Derrell Bullock ASSISTANT CHOREOGRAPHERS Nicolas Huchard Amilios Arapoglou Sierra Herrera Allaune Blegbo COSTUME DEPARTMENT Eyob Yohannes – Costume Designer Taryn Shumway – Assistant Costume Designer Timothy Chernyaev – Assistant Costume Designer Mae Heidenreich – Assistant Costume Designer Aliyah Christmas – Assistant Costume Designer Amanda Kai – Costume Department Coordinator Samuel Ososki – Tailor Michael Velasquez – Tailor Anthony Garcia – Tailor Kenberly Pierre-Paul – Costume Assistant Raqu#madonnafans #blondambition #madonnahistory #madge #fashionblogger #fashion #music #diva #mdnaskin #madonna #queenofpop #queen #madamex #M14 https://www.instagram.com/p/B2sEz9XC5QX/?igshid=ase2v75v72gy

[ghaw2007]

Proposed TV Series

Proposed TV Series

To air on: HBO/HBO Canada, Encore, TV One, Flix, Starz, Cinemax, TNT, CBS, TBS, BET, TVGN, FX/FX Canada, USA, ABC, Showtime, DirectTV, IFC, AMC, Epix, MTV, MuchMusic, SundanceTV, Bravo (Canada), Netflix, ReelzChannel, Hallmark Channel, Hulu, Showcase, E!, OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network, Cloo, Ion, WE tv, Oxygen, Chiller, Universal HD, WGN America, VH1, ABC Family, TV Land, Lifetime/Lifetime Canada, MTV, Centric, Bounce TV, Comedy Central, Antenna TV, CMT/CMT (Canada), City, This TV, BBC America, Nickelodeon|Nick At Nite, Me-TV, ASPiRE, Retro TV, Pivot, Esquire Network, Cozi TV, Up, My Family TV, Tuff TV, AXS TV, Logo TV, Up, and TruTV.

NOTE: NBC, A&E, Spike, Bravo (America), The CW, Syfy, Amazon Studios, and FOX are not included in the list of networks/VOD services

AmeriAfri: A mix of Twin Peaks, Desperate Housewives & The Wire. Written by Rick Famuyiwa & Gina Prince-Bythewood. P.C.S.A.: The life of Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus. Written by Ron Hutchinson, Robert Schenkkan & Shem Bitterman. White People: Loosely based on J.T. Rogers' play of the same name about the lives of three ordinary Americans placed under the spotlight: Martin, a high powered attorney for a white-shoe law firm in St. Louis, MO; Mara Lynn, a housewife and former homecoming queen in Fayetteville, NC; and Alan, a professor struggling to find his way in New York City. Through heart-wrenching confessions, they wrestle with guilt, prejudice, and the price they and their children must pay for their actions. White People is a candid, brutally honest meditation on race and language in our culture. Written by J.T. Rogers. Pittsburgh Cycle: Based on August Wilson's The Pittsburgh Cycle. Written by Vaun Monroe. Da Brick: Contemporary exploration of what it means to be an African man in supposedly post-racial America and is loosely inspired by aspects of Mike Tyson’s youth. Written by John Ridley. Consultant: M. K. Asante. All Signs of Death: Based on Charlie Huston's The Mystic Arts of Erasing All Signs of Death. Written by Charlie Huston. Wars And Battles: Loosely based on the Weather Underground and Symbionese Liberation Army in 1964. Written by Terry Green & Sibyl Gardner. [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Sylvester Magee, the last American legal slave to die. Written by Joshua Allen & Sterling Norman Anderson. [[]]: About a Malcolm X type Christian and human rights activist in 1967. Written by Daniel Beaty & Anthony Grooms. Consultant: Jared A. Ball. Luke Cage: Based on the comic book character of the same name who obtained his powers in an accident that left him with near-impervious skin and superhuman strength. Written by Philip Levens & Matt Pyken. HOMO: An unflinching examination of homosexuality in America and Canada. Loosely based on the lives of Fred Phelps, Steve Drain and K. Ryan Jones' Fall From Grace. Set in Greensboro, NC. Written by Bruce Norris. Centrality: An unflinching examination of America's racial animus loosely based on the 1989 Central Park Jogger case. Written by Barbara Hall & Kevin Arkadie. [[]]: Loosely based on Before They Die and The Tulsa Lynching of 1921: A Hidden Story about the Tulsa race riot and its aftermath. Written by Daniel Omotosho Black & Marcus Gardley. Consultant: David Bradley. Concealed Destruction: Loosely based on the mystery surrounding Johnny Gosch, Eugene Wade Martin, Paul Bonacci, Jesse Dirkhising, Boys Town, NE, Nancy Schaefer, and Noreen Gosch's Why Johnny Can't Come Home. Inspired by Alternative Views' groundbreaking Boys For Sale. Written by John Zinman & Patrick Massett. [[]]: Loosely based on the aftermath of the 1992 Los Angeles riots. Written by Eric Jerome Dickey & Nathan McCall. Consultant: Dr. L'Heureux Lewis. Burke: Based on Andrew Vachss' book series about a man named Burke and his battle against child abusers. Written by Dave Andron & Taylor Elmore. Parable of The Sower: Based on Octavia E. Butler's book series of the same name. It centers on a woman who possesses what Butler dubbed hyperempathy – the ability to feel the perceived pain and other sensations of others – who develops a benign philosophical and religious system during her childhood in the remnants of a gated community in Los Angeles. Written by Stephen Belber & Richard Levine & Thomas L. Moran. Shades of Black: Exploring the lives of the teachers, students, and administrators at an African centered Charter high school. Written by Robert Alexander & Kia Corthron. Consultant: Dr. David Stephens. The Jagged Orbit: Based on John Brunner's book of the same name. Set in the United States of America in 2014, when interracial tensions have passed the breaking point. Written by Ted Humphrey. Without Kings (aka American Cunts): The lives of black women living in St. Louis, MO. Set in 2006 and inspired by YouTube's 5723michael, Tommy Sotomayor, TheAdviseShowTV, Zo Williams, and Amos N. Wilson. Written by . The Syndicate: Loosely based on the Cerrito, Genna, Smaldone, Lanza, and Giordana crime families. Set in 1952. Based in Houston, TX. Written by David Goldschmid & Nathan Fissell. [[]]: Loosely based on Samuel R. Delany memoirs' Heavenly Breakfast, The Motion of Light in Water, Times Square Red, Times Square Blue. A mix of Knots Landing, All In The Family & Twin Peaks. Written by Samuel R. Delany & Harley Peyton. Tales of Hannah: Loosely based on the life of Hannah Elias, the first black female millionaire in America. Written by Ntozake Shange & Kia Corthron. Thurgood: Loosely based on the life of Thurgood Marshall. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on Madam C.J. Walker: Building a Business Empire and The Black Rose: The Dramatic Story of Madam C.J. Walker about the life of Madam C. J. Walker. Written by Dominique Morisseau & Y York. Black Jaguar: Loosely based on the Black Panther Party in 1968. Inspired by All Power To The People. Set in Newark, NJ. Written by Robert Alexander. Consultant: Daryl T. Hinmon. ABORTION: Loosely based on the lives of David Gunn, John Britton, Barnett Slepian, and George Tiller. Written by Sarah Ruhl & Richard Greenberg. Burning Water: Loosely based on the life of Judith Reisman, founder of the modern anti-Kinsey movement. Written by . Oryx and Crake: Based on Margaret Atwood's book of the same name including The Year of The Flood. Written by Albert Kim & Christine Boylan. Sun Days: The personal and professional lives of a fictional professional football team in Columbus, OH. Think: Any Given Sunday meets Desperate Housewives. Written by Josh Senter & Eric Haywood. The Terrible Girls: Loosely based on Jacqueline Goldfinger's play of the same name about friendship, obsession, and Southern sensibilities. Written by Jacqueline Goldfinger. [[]]: Loosely based on the lives of Danny Casolaro, Chauncey W. Bailey Jr., Gary Webb, Alan Berg, Don Bolles, Walter Liggett, and Manuel de Dios Unanue. Written by Rafael Alvarez, William F. Zorzi & George Pelecanos. New World: 1728: About the Atlantic slave trade in 1728. Written by David Barr III & Derrell G. Owens. Consultant: Edward P. Jones. 21st Century Triad: A fictionalized exploration of Sam Sheppard's life, narcissism, machiavellianism, and psychopathy in modern day San Diego, CA. A mix of Revenge, The Fugitive, The Talented Mr. Ripley, and Eyes Wide Shut. Written by Dan LeFranc & Chris Collins. The Eight Wonder: Based on Bill Cosgriff's book of the same name about a working–class family in upstate New York dealing with divorce, poverty, adultery, and the trials of raising a developmentally-delayed child. A dramedy that moves from the hardscrabble world of lawn maintenance to the high precincts of the Parisian art world and back again. Written by Bill Cosgriff. Humanland: Depicting daily life in a San Diego mental institution, from the perspectives of staff members and patients. Written by Thomas Gibson & Daniel Reitz. Moms.Single: An ethnically divorced family deals with issues of race, divorce, relationships, and parenting through humor and honesty. Written by M. Esther Sherman. Hammon: The life of an African college professor, Hammon Aiken, in 1949. Written by Michele Val Jean & Mat Johnson. Consultant: Richard Wesley. Words of Warner: The life of an African novelist and playwright in 1953. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Louis E. Lomax. Written by Rebecca Gilman. [[]]: Loosely based on Oscar Micheaux's The Forged Note: A Romance of The Darker Races. Written by . Zinzi: Based on Phyllis MacBryde's musical and novel of the same name. Ripped from her tribal roots in South Africa and cast into the fertile jazz world of post World War II Harlem, a young girl struggles to find her way amid the challenges of a racially divided America. Written by Phyllis MacBryde. [[]]: Loosely based on Metropia; a group of multicultural, multi-ethnic, hip and happening, twenty-somethings living in Philadelphia, PA. The series reflects the diverse cultural make up of Philadelphia and deals with adult contemporary themes - education, employment, social/cultural issues and sexual themes. Written by Jill Golick. Birds of A Feather: Based on the British comedy of the same name about two sisters whose lives had taken very different routes. Written by Sheila Callaghan. The Shockwave Rider: Loosely based on John Brunner's book of the same name about a survivor in a hypothetical world of quickly changing identities, fashions and lifestyles, where individuals are still controlled and oppressed by a powerful and secretive state apparatus. His highly developed computer skills enable him to use any public telephone to punch in a new identity, thus reinventing himself, within hours. As a fugitive, he must do this from time to time in order to escape capture. Written by . Absalom, Absalom!: Loosely based on William Faulkner's book of the same name. Written by Michele Val Jean & Judy Tate. Where The Blood Mixes: Based on Kevin Loring's book of the same name about family, loss, redemption and healing. Floyd and Mooch, raised in residential schools, must confront their past when Floyd’s daughter Christine returns to Kumsheen after twenty years, to discover her past and her family. Written by Kevin Loring, Richard Wagamese & George Elliott Clarke. Dry: Based on Augusten Burroughs' book of the same name about an advertising executive trying to get sober. Written by Augusten Burroughs. Three Days Before The Shooting: Based on Ralph Ellison's book of the same name about man of indeterminate race who assumes a white identity and eventually becomes a race-baiting U.S. senator named Adam Sunraider. Written by . Some Girls: My Life In A Harem: Loosely based on Jillian Lauren's book of the same name. Written by Christina Anderson & Sharon Bridgforth. Sold: Loosely based on Zana Muhsen's book of the same name. Written by Tanya Barfield. Amos Fortune, Free Man: Loosely based on Elizabeth Yates' book of the same name. Written by Robert Alexander. (900): Loosely based on Zakiyyah Alexander's play of the same name. A young woman applies for a job in the phone sex industry and finds herself caught up in a twisted, comedic oral-sex romp. While navigating a dark world of golden showers, dominatrixes, and overly imaginative callers who demand more than sex, we find that identity is fluid and nothing is more ominous than the sound of a dial tone. Written by Zakiyyah Alexander. Fiona Range: Based on Mary McGarry Morris' book of the same name about Fiona's attempts to clean her life up, find love in the midst of loneliness and confusion, and find balance in the midst of seemingly insurmountable emotional chaos. Written by Julia Jordan. Rolling Heads: Loosely based on Frontline's The Education of Michelle Rhee. Think: Boston Public meets The Wire. Written by Jed Seidel, George Pelecanos & Henry Robles. Wonder of The World: Based on David Lindsay-Abaire's book of the same name about a wife named Cass who suddenly leaves her husband (after discovering his sexual fetish involving Barbie heads), and hops a bus to Niagara Falls in search of freedom, enlightenment and the meaning of life. Written by David Lindsay-Abaire. Matadors: Centers on two feuding families who battle each other as one populates the Chicago district attorney's office and the other manages an influential private law firm. Written by Jack Orman. Marion: Loosely based on the life of Marion S. Barry Jr. Written by . Two Hands: Loosely based on the lives of Muhammad Ali, Rahman Ali, Laila Ali, George Foreman, Freeda Foreman, Joe Frazier, Jackie Frazier-Lyde, Marvis Frazier, Roger Leonard, and Sugar Ray Leonard. Written by . The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman: Loosely based on Ernest J. Gaines' book of the same name. Written by Lydia R. Diamond. Dress Your Family in Corduroy And Denim: Based on David Sedaris' book of the same name. Written by Kristoffer Diaz. Half A Heart: Based on Rosellen Brown's book of the same name which traces the lives of several people who participated in the civil rights movement and continue to live in its shadow. Written by Tina Mabry & Regina Taylor. Pure Poetry: Based on Binnie Kirshenbaum's book of the same name. Written by Kirsten Greenidge & Eugenie Chan. Checks & Balances: Explores the lives, loves & machinations of workers at Ambrose/Craner/Ellison, a fictional independent Wall Street investment house. Set in New York City. Written by David Adjmi & Reggie Rock Bythewood. Mich Max: The ongoings of a fictional maximum-security prison in Michigan. Think: Oz in 2008. Written by . Manchild In The Promised Land: Loosely based on Claude Brown's book of the same name. Written by . Fauxfer: The examination of cultural clashes between a transplanted philosophical Chicago disc jockey and the townspeople of fictional of Fauxfer, South Dakota. Think: Northern Exposure meets American Beauty. Written by Melanie Marnich, Lydia Millet & Jim Vallely. Fork It Over: Loosely based on Alan Richman's book of the same name as his inexhaustible hunger & unquenchable curiosity lead him into the world of professional eaters & culinary journalism. Written by Chiori Miyagawa. The Darkness of Days: The events leading up to the Rwandan Genocide in August 1993 and its aftermath. Written by . My Day, Your Day: A post Vietnam War drama set in Charlotte, North Carolina. Written by Karen Harris & Susan Wald. Brooke III: Loosely based on the life of Edward William Brooke III. Written by Kathryn Grant. I'll Have A...: Based on Debra Ginsberg's Waiting: The True Confessions Of A Waitress. Think: a scripted version of The Restaurant. Written by Robert Kauzlaric. Double Billing: An expose of the legal profession. Loosely based on Cameron Stracher's Double Billing & William R. Keates' Proceed With Caution. A mix of Ally McBeal, The Practice, Suits, and Damages. Written by Carlos Murillo & Gina Gionfriddo. Me Talk Pretty One Day: Based on David Sedaris' life & book of the same name. Written by Samuel D. Hunter. The Subject Steve: Based on Sam Lipsyte's book of the same name. A dark satire in which the protagonist, Steve, is diagnosed with a vague but deadly disease called Prexis that sounds suspiciously like terminal boredom with modern life. Written by Dan LeFranc. Easy Steps: Satirical look at the self-help industry. Written by Steven Dietz. Faces: Multiple storylines dealing with issues like depression, poverty, addiction (drug, food, sex, alchohol), abuse (physical, mental, sexual), suicide, homophobia, violence (gangs, rape), eating disorders, and learning/physical disabilities. Based in Indianapolis, IN. Written by Joshua Allen, Djanet Sears & Daniel Beaty. Consultants: Dr. Umar Abdullah Johnson, John Potash & Raymond Winbush. Yesterday, Today And Tomorrow: It's about the moments which defined yesterday, the trials & tribulations facing us today, and the outcomes which will lead into tomorrow. Blending social & political issues, love & romance, action & adventure, spirituality & mystery themes. Based in San Antonio, TX. Written by Tarell Alvin McCraney, Bobby Smith Jr. & James Christy. Dr. Kenan, Medicine Man: The life of an African doctor in 1937. Based in Raleigh, NC. Written by . Present Minds: The ongoings of an historically black college in 1973. Written by Marcus Gardley & Shay Youngblood. This Side of Paradise: Loosely based on F. Scott Fitzgerald's book of the same name which examines the lives and morality of post-World War I youth. Written by Michael Werwie. Raindrops And Sunshine: Coming of age drama about the lives of college students and recent graduates in South Carolina. Written by Cynthia Whitcomb & Jasmine Love. Topdog/Underdog: Loosely based on Suzan-Lori Parks' play of the same name chronicles the adult lives of two brothers as they cope with women, work, poverty, gambling, white supremacy, and their troubled upbringings. Written by Suzan-Lori Parks. Zubat & Clark: Best friends who host an afternoon drive home radio talk show in Washington, D.C. Dayvide Zubat is a moderate and Jon E. Clark is a libertarian. A mix of Politically Incorrect, WKRP In Cincinnati and NewsRadio. Written by Skander Halim. The Twenty-Seventh City: Loosely based on Jonathan Franzen's book of the same name. A partly satirical thriller that studies a family unravelling under intense pressure, the novel is set amidst intricate political conspiracy and financial upheaval in St. Louis, MO in 1984. Written by Jonathan Franzen. Origin/Terminus: Government agents investigating paranormal activity, unexplained phenomena & conspiracies as they encounter secret societies who are in search of the truth of the planet. Think: The X Files meets Alias. Written by Ryan Farley & Tammy Ryan. Following The Yellow Brick Road Down The Rabbit Hole: Loosely based on the play of the same name about Cissy, a young Catholic girl who challenges the church as she grapples with her own developing body and consciousness. Along the way, in her quest to crack the mysteries of religion and sexuality, she encounters older siblings, friends, mothers, teachers and clergy all brought to life in an invigorating performance by the playwright, who seamlessly transforms from one character to another. Written by Terri Campion. Silicon Follies: Based on Thomas Scoville's book of the same name - a satire of Silicon Valley and its technological trappings; portraying a world as rich with youth and enthusiasm as it is with hypocrisy and loneliness. Written by Peter DeLaurier. The Council: Loosely based on The Council, a black crime syndicate. Written by . The Town: Based on Bentley Little's book of the same name in which bizarre events begin to occure shortly after a man returns to his old hometown of McGuane, AZ with his wife and three children. Written by Nicole Burdette. Where The Sun Never Sets: A dark comedy of ideas, a married couple finds itself trapped in a perilously perfect world. Written by Bob Clyman. Outer Banks: Spoiled heiress turned hotel manager makes the best of a bad situation - learning to live with quirky beach locals and tourists. Written by Mary Carroll-Hackett. Kick Me: Based on Paul Feig's book of the same name. Think: Freaks & Geeks: Part 2. Written by Paul Feig & Bob Nickman. Who's Sorry Now: Based on Joe Pantoliano's book of the same name. Written by Joe Pantoliano & Travis Milloy. Times of Ordinary Men: An unflinching examination of the human condition in modern day America. A group of angels are tasked with bringing guidance and messages from God to various people who are at a crossroads in their lives. Think: Touched By An Angel meets Six Feet Under. Theme song: Wendy Lands' Angels & Ordinary Men. Written by Nancy Miller. A Brief History of The Flood: Based in Jean Harfenist's book of the same name which chronicles the lives of a Minnesota family as narrated by the main character, Lillian Anderson. Written by Jane Ann Crum. The Wanting Seed: Loosely based on Anthony Burgess' book of the same name. Written by Jacquelyn Reingold. Mundy's Town: The rise and fall of an African mayor of a predominately white American town in March 1978. Written by Stephen Godchaux & Jeni Mahoney. I Am Woman: Based on Andrea Lee's Interested Women. Written by Jackie Sibblies Drury. Ray Who?: Loosely based on the disappearance of Ray Gricar, District Attorney for Centre County, PA. Written by Doug Wright. Consultant: C.J. Box. Innocents: Loosely based on Cathy Coote's book of the same name about a twisted love affair between a college student and teacher from the student's point of view. Written by Morris Panych & Keira Loughran. Plainsong: Based on Kent Haruf's book of the same name about eight compassionately imagined characters whose lives undergo radical change during the course of one year. Written by Eisa Davis & Lee Blessing. The Chronicles of Amber: Based on Roger Zelazny's book series of the same name. Written by . Cornelius aka Robert: Loosely based on the life of Cornelius Calvin Sale Jr., the longest-serving member of the U.S. Congress, in 1939. Written by . ...And I: The relationships people have with their work, friends, family & the world around them in Lexington, KY. Written by Christine Conradt & Ramin Bahrani. Strong Motion: Loosely based on Jonathan Franzen's book of the same name about a dysfunctional family, and uses seismic events on the American East Coast as a metaphor for the quakes that occur in family life. It explores themes such as abortion, feminism, corporate malfeasance, and exploitative capitalism. Written by Michael Conforti & Hal Corley. The Rulers of The Ages: Lives of those between the ages of 50 and 70. Written by Richard Russo. Welcome To Temptation: Based on Jennifer Crusie's book of the same name about two slightly twisted sisters and a town chock full of hunks, coots, and petty politics. Written by Madi Distefano. Life of The Party: Set to the backdrop of a dysfunctional DJ/Entertainment Company. Think: Arrested Development meets Party Down. Written by Robert N. King. Heart of America: Kansas City, 1961 - Former high school buddies watch their teenage marriages crumble as they face the changing times from the sanctuary of their neighborhood tavern. Written by Rogers Turrentine. Why Girls Are Weird: Based on Pamela Ribon's book of the same name. Written by Meg Bennett. The Secret Lives of Married Men: Based on David Leddick's book of the same name about homosexual men who were married - and those who still are - to women. Written by Cheryl Dunye. Sons of The Prophet: Loosely based on Stephen Karam's play of the same name. Written by Stephen Karam. Speech And Debate: Loosely based on Stephen Karam's play of the same name about three misfit teenagers who live in Salem, Oregon. Written by Stephen Karam. Sellevision: Based on Augusten Burroughs' book of the same name- A relentless spoof of cable's home-shopping mania. Written by D.W. Gregory. Tuffy: Based on Paul Beatty's book, Tuff, about the unusual coming-of-age of 19-year-old, obese african Winston "Tuffy" Foshay, who tries to rise above his rough-and-tumble life on the vicious streets of Spanish Harlem. Written by . The Camel Club: Based on David Baldacci's book series of the same name. Written by David Baldacci. Hiram: Free Man: Loosely based on the life of Hiram Rhodes Revels, the first African elected to either chamber of the US Congress. Written by . Shaw: Loosely based on David Baldacci's The Whole Truth and Deliver Us From Evil about Shaw, an operative for a secret global intelligence agency, and Katie James, a disgraced investigative journalist. Written by . Multiple Pieces: Based on David Baldacci's Sean King and Michelle Maxwell book series about two discredited agents who enter a maze of lies, secrets, and deadly coincidences, they uncover a violence that shattered their lives were really a long time in the making - and are a long way from over. Written by . Joe College: Based on Tom Perrotta's book of the same name about an English major at Yale who's stuck with the peculiarities of his roommates, a horrendous crush on a fellow student, while struggling to complete his junior year. Written by Michael Golamco. JAX: About the personal and professional lives of a fictional professional basketball team in Jacksonville, FL. Written by Andrew Case. Life As A Loser: Based on Will Leitch's book of the same name. Written by Christina Calvit. [[]]: Loosely based on Maurice Jackson's Let This Voice Be Heard about the life Anthony Benezet, an abolitionist and educator, in 1750s Philadelphia. Written by . A Dangerous Woman: Based on Mary McGarry Morris' book of the same name about a Vermont woman who is most dangerous to herself. Written by Elisabeth Karlin. The White Boy Shuffle: Based on Paul Beatty's book of the same name about a gleefully satiric gloss on black American history and culture. Written by Paul Beatty & Lynn Nottage. The Rebel Wife: Based on the novel of the same name about young widow trying to survive in the violent world of Reconstruction Alabama, where the old gentility masks a continuing war fueled by hatred, treachery, and still-powerful secrets. Written by Taylor M. Polites. His Children: Based on the British comedy, Bread, about a staunchly Catholic family. In this case, it will be a staunchly Christian family. Written by . [[]]: Slavery in Georgia during the 1850s. Written by . Consultant: Charles R. Johnson. G.L.B.: Loosely based on the life of Glenn Burke and Billy Beans' Going The Other Way: Lessons From A Life In And Out of Major League Baseball. Written by C. Jay Cox & Ira Sachs. Some Dark Places of The Earth: Loosely based on Claire Kiechel's play of the same name. In an ex-pat community in Brussels, ten-year-old Bee imagines herself inside the nightly newscasts of her radio journalist father. When her mother begins an affair with the diplomat next door, Bee recruits the man’s son to help realize her fantasies. As their make-believe escalates, a new reality threatens the fragile world the two families have constructed. Written by Claire Kiechel. Midnight At Noon: On the run after robbing a bank during the great depression, two brothers find themselves trapped in the harsh region known as the Dust Bowl where a ruthless killer hunts them down. Written by Nathaniel Halpern. Hi-De-Hi!: Based on the British comedy of the same name which was set in a holiday camp during the 1950s and 1960s. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Frederick Douglass. Written by . Last of The Summer Wine: Based on the British comedy of the same name about the adventures of three elderly, unmarried friends. Think: The male version of The Golden Girls. Written by . San Soccer: The personal and professional lives of a fictional professional soccer team in San Antonio, TX. Written by Neil Landau & Victor Lodato. Call Time: Written by Josh Woodle. American Frontier: A tale of conquest, survival, persistence, and the merging of peoples and cultures that gave birth and continuing life to America in 1817. Written by . Never The Twain: Based on the British comedy of the same name about two male next-door neighbours and rival antique dealers engaged in continuous one-upmanship. Written by . New York Day: About the lives of people working at a fictional newspaper in 1951. Written by Rebecca Gilman, David Ehrman & Travis Donnelly. The King of America: Based on Samantha Gillison's book of the same name about Stephen Hesse—loosely modeled on Michael Rockefeller, who disappeared 40 years ago in then Dutch New Guinea while collecting primitive art for his father's collection—is an excruciatingly lonely, earnest kid struggling to develop an identity under the crushing weight of his father's millions. Written by . Detroit 365: A gritty drama based in Detroit, MI dealing with social, cultural, sexual and political issues. Written by Joe R. Lansdale. Consultants: Dr. Boyce Watkins & Demetrius Darnell Walker. Recalling What Lies: Loosely based on Alice Pencavel's play of the same name about the nature of boundaries - the crossing and violation of boundaries - in different relationships and on many different levels. It also addresses the concept of memory: how accurate it is, how it defines us, and ultimately how valuable it is. Written by Alice Pencavel. North/South/East/West: A post Korean War drama set in South Bend, IN. Think: Homefront in 1953. Written by Lynn Marie Latham & Bernard Lechowick. Consultant: Russell Banks The Thin Red Line: The ongoings of a firehouse in a small city in 1998. Written by Scott Teems. Americana: Satire on American culture, media & politics. A small town businessman becomes the mayor of a metropolis. Written by Qui Nguyen & Stephen Axelrod. Forty Days At Kamas: Based on Preston Fleming's book series of the same name. Written by Preston Fleming. Some Kind of Fairy Tale: Based on the book of the same name. Written by Graham Joyce. A Long Way From Home: Based on Connie Briscoe's book of the same name about an enslaved mother, daughter, and grandmother of President James Madison. Written by Connie Briscoe. Anti-Anything: Revolving around the life of a working class bigot and his family. Think: All In The Family meets The Office. Written by . Two Trains Running: Loosely based on Andrew Vachss' book of the name name. Written by Robert Nathan. A Modern Feeling: Loosely based on Jason Kim's play of the same name about two homosexual men struggling to find meaning and direction. Written by Jason Kim. Women of The Otherworld: Based on Kelly Armstrong's book series. Written by Julian Sampson & Kelley Armstrong. Margin of Error: Centers on a workaholic campaign strategist who launches a new political campaign every season. Written by D.V. DeVincentis. [[]]: Loosely based on lives of the Scottsboro Boys. Written by . Table 21: Loosely based on T. Rafael Cimino's book of the same name. New York City in December 1999: As one millennium ends and another begins, an erratic chain of events unfold that could change the face of the Italian Mafia forever. In the turmoil, a vacuum is created when one family falls, creating an unprecedented void of power and a subsequent struggle for control of the underworld.Think: The Godfather meets Crash. Written by T. Rafael Cimino. Walls of Stone: A post-Stonewall drama in NYC. Written by Christopher Shinn & Laura Maria Censabella. Alongside Night: Based on J. Neil Schulman's book of the same name. Written by . Mr. Peters' Connections: Based on Arthur Miller's play of the same name. The title character is a former pilot who worked for the airline in its glory days. He recalls flying into a thousand sunsets and bedding eighteen Rockettes in a month, eventually marrying one of them. Now he is an aging, befuddled man lost in a world he no longer understands. Written by Jessica Queller & Thomas Bezucha. Mara Dyer: Based on Michelle Hodkin's book series. Written by Michelle Hodkin. columbinus: Loosely based on Stephen Karam's play of the same name about alienation, hostility and social pressure in high schools. Written by Stephen Karam. Tilda: Satire about the entertainment industry centering on a powerful and reclusive Hollywood blogger. Written by Bill Condon and Cynthia Mort. Juvy: The ongoings of a juvenile detention facility in St. Louis, MO. Written by James DeMonaco & Tom Reilly. When The Bough Breaks: Based on Johnathan Kellerman's book series about Alex Delaware, a forensic psychologist. Written by Nick Santora & Scott Kaufer. One Fifth Avenue: Based on Candace Bushnell's book of the same name about the residents of the prestigious building. Written by Candace Bushnell. Lambs of Men: Loosely based on Charles Dodd White's book of the same name. When a gruesome act of violence stuns the insular mountain community, father and son must journey together to see justice carried out while coming to terms with a deeply troubled family history. Written by Charles Dodd White. Man In The Blue Moon: Based on Michael Morris' book of the same name. While the world is embroiled in World War I, Ella fights her own personal battle to keep the mystical Florida land that has been in her family for generations from the hands of an unscrupulous banker. Written by Michael Morris & Angelina Burnett. Rocco Perri: Loosely based on the life of Rocco Perri. Written by Tobin Addington. Wonders of The Invisible World: Based on Patricia A. McKillip's book of the same name. Written by . American Rock: Based on the life of Nelson Rockefeller in 1957. Written by . Print Men: The personal and professional lives of workers at a men's magazine in 1953. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on the disapperance of Hale Boggs and Nick Begich. Written by Nancy Noever. Gonzo: About war journalists in the 1980s searching for a missing comrade in a 24/7-on-edge Central American country rattled by corruption, greed, and political intrigue. Written by Michael Oates Palmer. Unreal Estate: Based on Michael Gross’ book of the same name Unreal Estate: Money, Ambition and the Lust for Land in Los Angeles. Written by Steve Atkinson. The Master Butchers Singing Club: Based on Louise Erdich's book of the same name. Having survived World War I, Fidelis Waldvogel returns to his quiet German village and marries the pregnant widow of his best friend, killed in action. They soon relocate to Argus, ND. When the Old World meets the New--in the person of Delphine Watzka--the great adventure of Fidelis's life begins. Written by . A Curse of Angels: Based on Janyce Lapore's play of the same name about a steelworker Salvador Vinta, an opera lover who rules his family with forbidden love and an iron hand. Written by Janyce Lapore. Canary: The residents of a small West Virginia coal mining town intersect and affect one another in surprising, often humorous ways, as their lives are inextricably shaped by their surroundings. Written by Craig Zobel. Confessions of Georgia Nicholson: Based on Louise Rennison's book series. Written by . The Corrections: Based on Jonathan Franzen's book of the same name. Written by Noah Baumbach. Wocke & Woll: The personal and professional lives of a sports agent, and his group of associates. Think: Sports Night meets The Office. Written by . Crossing The River: Loosely based on Caryl Phillips' book of the same name about about three black people during different time periods and in different continents as they struggle with the separation from their native Africa. Written by . Tree of Smoke: Based on Denis Johnson's book of the same name about a man who joins the CIA in 1965, and begins working in Vietnam during the American involvement there. Written by Jorge Zamacona & Jeff York. Nathaniel of Virginia: Based on the life of Nat Turner. Written by . Brotherhood of War: Based on W. E. B. Griffin's book series about the United States Army from World War II through the Vietnam War. The story centers around the careers of four U.S. Army officers who were lieutenants in the early 1940s. Written by . 3,600 Seconds: Behind the scenes of a TV newsmagazine in 1972. Think: The Eleventh Hour meets 60 Minutes. Written by . Common Prayer: Loosely based on Joan Didion's A Book of Common Prayer. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on Joan Didion's Slouching Towards Bethlehem and The White Album. Written by . Night Fighter: Based on David Sherman's book series of the same name about the kind of activities experienced by the US Marines and Vietnamese Popular Forces units of the combat-outpost type of the Combined Action Program of the United States Marine Corps. Written by . Spring/Fall: Set in New York City against the backdrop of the fashion world, the project centered on the dysfunctional partnership between two women with different approaches to career, family and friendship. Written by Kate Robin. Lawless: Written by Tom S. Parker & Jim Jennewein. Black Orchid: Based on the comic book character. Written by . Cuomo: Loosely based on the Cuomo family in 1972. Written by Carla Robinson. [[]]: Based on the life of Sigmund Freud beginning in 1885. Written by . Queen & Country: Based on the comic book series of the same name about a female operative of the Special Operations Section of SIS, colloquially known as the Minders. Written by . Couples: Loosely based on John Updike's book of the same name. Written by . X: Loosely based on David Henry Sterry's Chicken: Self-Portrait of A Young Man For Rent, Confessions of A Sex Maniac, Unzipped: A True Story of Sex, Drugs, Rollerskates and Murder, Master of Ceremonies: A True Story of Love, Murder, Roller Skates and Chippendales and Hos, Hookers, Call Girls and Rant Boys: Professionals Writing On Life, Love, Money and Sex. About people leaving behind their former lives [ex-stripper; ex-white supremacist; ex-escort; ex-homosexual; ex-gambler]. Written by . The Poisonwood Bible: Loosely based on Barbara Kingsolver's book of the same name and the Congo Crisis. Written by . James Lanza: Loosely based on the life of James Lanza, an American mobster and boss of the San Francisco crime family. Written by Nilo Cruz. What Looks Like Crazy On An Ordinary Day: Loosely based on Pearl Cleage's book of the same name about a black woman who has moved back to her hometown following a positive diagnosis for HIV. Written by . The Last Thing He Wanted: Loosely based on Joan Didion's book of the same name about a woman who inherits her father's position as an arms dealer for the U.S. Government. Written by . Let It Blurt: Based on Jim DeRogatis' book of the same name. Written by . 100 Bullets: Based on the comic book of the same name. Written by David S. Goyer. Full Tilt Boogie: About a middle-aged pot pilot who juggles his life as a smuggler busting the USA/Mexican border with his responsibilities as a father and ex-husband. Written by Amber Crawford-Idell. American Vampire: Based on the comic book series of the same name. Written by Scott Snyder. The Stand: Based on Stephen King's The Stand: The Complete & Uncut Edition book of the same name. Written by . The Sandman: Based on Neil Gaiman's comic book series of the same name. Written by Neil Gaiman. The Catcher Was A Spy: Loosely based on Nicholas Dawidoff's book of the same name. Written by . Amnesia Moon: Loosely based on Jonathan Lethem's book of the same name. The protagonist is a survivalist named Chaos, who lives in an abandoned megaplex after an apparent nuclear strike. The residents of his town of Hatfork are reliant on a sinister messianic figure named Kellogg for food. Kellogg also has powerful dreams, which he transfers into the minds of others. Chaos's mind is especially receptive, making him reluctant to sleep. Written by . Of Lights and Flowers: About those trying to rebuild their lives in Anchorage, AK after the most powerful recorded earthquake in American history. Written by Janet Allard. 11/22/63: Based on Stephen King's book of the same name about a time traveler who attempts to prevent the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Written by . 60 Minute Man: A suburban dad suspects he's involved in a government conspiracy after he discovers his memory is erased during one hour of each day. Written by Graham Yost. The Catcher In The Rye: Loosely based on J. D. Salinger's book of the same name. Written by . All 'Bout Leguizamo: Loosely based on John Leguizamo's Freak, Sexaholix... A Love Story, Ghetto Klown & Pimps, Hos, Playa Hatas, And All The Rest of My Hollywood Friends: My Life. Written by John Leguizamo. Cane River: Loosely based on Lalita Tademy's book of the same name about four generations of slave-born females from 1830s to 1930s. Written by Lalita Tademy, Karen Hall & Misan Sagay. Hi School: Parody of high school life. Written by Peter Saji & Tami Sagher. Music for Torching: Loosely based on the book of the same name about a dysfunctional suburban family in modern-day America dealing with various issues, including sex, social consciousness, infidelity and school violence. Written by A. M. Homes. A Marriage: The anatomy of a couple’s marriage. Written by Marshall Herskovitz & Edward Zwick. Rabbit, Run: Based on John Updike's six books about Harry Angstrom. Written by . 20 Questions: There's nothing that fascinates people quite like a government conspiracy. Unless you're an innocent man caught up in the middle of one and running for your life. Written by Thomas Hines. Retribution: Based on John Fulton's book of the same name about struggle with and against the demands of family loyalty, love, loss, and sexual desire. Written by Lydia Woodward & Marsha Norman. American Man: Delving into the complex, troubling, and humorous contradictions, illusions, and realities of contemporary manhood. Written by David Brind & Merritt Johnson. A View of The Ocean: Loosely based on Jan de Hartog's memoir of the same name - unflinching look at death and the process of dying. Written by Elizabeth Savage Sullivan. William's Law: Loosely based on the life of William O. Douglas, who served 13,358 days on the United States Supreme Court. Written by . Dark Horse: Conspiracy thriller about an undergraduate who's struck by lightning the exact moment his estranged father, a respected neurosurgeon, is killed during an attempt to assassinate a politician likely to have become the next President. Written by Harald Kloser & Roland Emmerich. Downwardly Mobile: The proprietor of a mobile home park serves as a surrogate mother to all the unique people who live there in a challenging economy. Written by Eric Gilliland. Awesometown: A peek behind the curtain of modern 20-something relationships. Written by Adam Sztykiel. One Drop: Loosely based on Bliss Broyard's memoir of the same name. Written by . All Fall Down: A successful female attorney who ends up joining her father's family law practice when she leaves her high-powered big city law firm and moves home to Savannah, GA, where her crazy relatives live. Think: Family Law meets Northern Exposure. Written by Rina Mimoun. Service Included: Loosely based on Phoebe Damrosch's memoir of the same name. Written by . The Center Cannot Hold: Loosely based on Elyn Saks' memoir of the same name. Written by . Snopes of Mississippi: Based on William Faulkner's The Hamlet, The Town, and The Mansion. Written by . Of The Farm: Loosely based on John Updike's book of the same name. Written by . Counter Culture: Three aging sisters who run their family diner together in West Texas find that sibling dynamics are always getting in the way of getting the job done. Written by Stephnie Weir. The Florist's Daughter: Loosely based on Patricia Hampl's memoir of the same name. An elliptical account of family and loss. Written by Lisa Melamed & Alison Tatlock. County: Revolves around the lives of staff members in a frenetic underfunded and morally compromising L.A. County hospital. Think: ER in 2013. Written by Jason Katims. 18 & Beyond: The ongoings of a college campus and its rivalry with a local university. A mix of Felicity, Blue Mountain State and Veronica Mars. Written by Becky Hartman Edwards & Terrence Coli. Scruples: Based on the 1978 bestselling book about a rich and powerful clothes designer in a world of sex, revenge and scandal. Written by Bob Brush & Mel Harris. Laws of Burger: Based on the life of Warren E. Burger. Written by . Empire State: A sprawling drama about two battling families (one rich, one not) in New York. Written by Jeffrey Reiner & Michael Seitzman. Sold!: Exposing the hilarious underbelly of the high-stakes real estate world and finds enough sex, greed, deceit and betrayal to last a lifetime. Written by Silvio Horta. In The Beauty of The Lilies: Loosely based on John Updike's book of the same name. Written by . Bare David: Loosely based on David Sedaris' Naked, Holidays On Ice and Barrel Fever. Written by David Sedaris. The Revelation: Loosely based on Bentley Little's book of the same name. A tale of horror set in a small northern Arizona town, this first novel begins with the desecration of an Episcopal church and the disappearance of the priest and his family. Written by . Possible Side Effects: Loosely based on Augusten Burroughs' Possible Side Effects, A Wolf At The Table, You Better Not Cry: Stories for Christmas, and Magical Thinking. Written by Augusten Burroughs. The Falcon: Based on the comic book character of the same name. Written by . Black Lightning: Based on the comic book character of the same name. Written by . After Innocence: Loosely based on the documentary of the same name and the Innocence Project about men who were exonerated from death row by DNA evidence. Written by . The Invisible College: Based on the comic book series of the same name about a secret organization battling against physical and psychic oppression using time travel, magic, meditation, and physical violence. Their enemies are the Archons of Outer Church, interdimensional alien gods who have already enslaved most of the human race without their knowledge. Written by . Jupiter Fences: An examination of American popular culture, the underclass, subcultures and alternative lifestyles. Think: Veronica Mars meets Picket Fences. Written by Jeff Melvoin, Tammy Ader & Cathy Belben. [[]]: The lives of social workers in Charlotte, N.C. A mix of East Side/West Side, Judging Amy and The Wire. Written by Robert Gately & Naomi Lamont. [[]]: A mix of Once and Again, thirtysomething, My So-Called Life, Sisters, and Henry James' The Golden Bowl. Written by Barbara Marshall & Geetika Lizardi. The Basic Eight: Loosely based on the book of the same name about Flannery Culp's high school experiences. Written by Daniel Handler. Diary: Loosely baed on Chuck Palahniuk's book of the same name. Misty Wilmot, a once-promising young artist currently working as a waitress in a hotel. Once her husband is in a coma after a suicide attempt, Misty soon finds herself a pawn in a larger conspiracy that threatens to cost hundreds of lives. Written by Chuck Palahniuk. The Crusades: Based on the comic book series. set in a fictionalised San Francisco and featured a large cast of characters whose lives are thrown into disarray by the sudden appearance of a murderous 11th Century Knight in the city. Main Characters included Anton Marx, a leftwing political radio "shock jock", his fact checker girlfriend Venus Kostopikas, her friend Detective Addas Petronas and the rival gangsters Tony Quetone and "the Pope". Written by Steven T. Seagle. Advise and Consent: Based on Allen Drury's Advise and Consent book series. Written by . Black: Loosely based on the life of Hugo Lafayette Black who served as a senator and an Associate Justice on the Supreme Court for three decades. Written by . Vice Town: Loosely based on the life of Hiram C. Gill in 1892 as he deals with "open town" and "closed town" factions while being a lawyer and politician. Written by . The Gospel According to Larry: Based on Janet Tashjian's book series of the same name revolving around seventeen-year-old Josh Swensen, an articulate teen whose dream is to change the world. He creates his own website which he calls "The Gospel According to Larry" because Larry was the most un-biblical name he could think of. He writes articles on this site "preaching" his feelings and ideas about making the world a better place. Written by Janet Tashjian. Royal House: Loosely based on the Biblical story of King David, but set in a kingdom that culturally and technologically resembles the present-day America. Think: Kings in 2013. Written by Michael Green. Brew City: Written by Wendy Calhoun. Paradise Palms: Written by Shelley Meals & Darin Goldberg. 2197 AD: Written by Marina Alburger. Bad Apple: Written by John Francis Whelpley. [[]]: Loosely based on the life of James Strom Thurmond in 1946. Con: Written by Dawn Comer Jefferson. The Bullring: A Mexican American businessman investigates the murder of a farm labor union organizer and uncovers a conspiracy between the union, a drug cartel and the company where the businessman works. The businessman must risk his career and his life to bring the murderers to justice. Written by Luke Garza. Cities in Flight: Based on James Blish's book series of the same name. Written by . Say Something Funny: His family's Lower East Side deli is both a job and a refuge from reality for a jokester with a broken heart. 10 years ago, his father committed suicide in the next room. Now, he must reconcile himself with loss or go down the same path his father did. Written by James Francis Nevins. "Fuck Your Parliament": Satirical look at American political relations with Canada, South Africa, Australia, and the United Kingdom. Think: The West Wing meets Veep. Written by . Chasing Alice: After a series of mysterious child abductions, a young FBI agent's obsession with the supernatural leads him on a wild adventure into a magical fairy tale land, where he befriends famous characters, outwits villains, rescues children, and rediscovers his long-lost sister. Written by Keiko Tamura & Tasha Hardy. BLITZKRIEG: A wannabe crime lord dreams of building an empire in Toronto, but he never counted on the array of thieves, killers and cops who are out to stop him. Written by Schuyler Willson. Thesis: A grad student's thesis research unintentionally gets him caught up with the mob. Written by Richard Averill. Red Rover: A teenager from an abusive background is drawn into the violent world of a charismatic stranger who promises he will never be a victim again. Written by Philip Landa. [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Hilmar Moore, the longest-serving elected official in America, and Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Written by . Stockholm, Pennsylvania: 19 years after her kidnapping, Leia is returned home to her parents where she discovers her name is Leanne and her birthday isn't in March. As Leia longs for the life she remembers and the man who made her who she is, Leia's mother works harder than ever to get her daughter back by any means necessary. Written by Nikole Beckwith. Victoria of Homer: Loosely based on the life of Victoria Woodhull. Written by Liz Tigelaar. Living Life: Based on David Soleil's experience as a motivational speaker who has lost his motivation to live. Theme song: Kate Bush's Part Heart. Written by David Soleil. Our Brothers: Inspired by Why I Hate Abercrombie and Fitch: Essays On Race And Sexuality. Written by . Consultant: Cleo Manago. Tubman: Based on the life of William Vacanarat S. Tubman, President of Liberia from 1944-1971. Written by . Moodyology: Loosely based on the life of Raymond Moody and his involvement in parapsychology. Think: Medium meets The X-Files. Written by . [[]]: Based on the United States Army Intelligence Support Activity, a unit tasked to collect actionable intelligence in advance of missions by other US special operations forces in counter-terrorist operations. Think: The Unit meets Army Wives. Written by Paul Redford, Sharon Lee Watson & Carol Flint. Mister J.J.: Based on the life of John Jay, the first Chief Justice of the United States. Written by . Steele's Land: How civilization comes together from chaos by organizing itself around symbols in 1890s Oklahoma Territory. A mix of Deadwood, Cimarron Strip, and The Lazarus Man. Written by . Doktor Sleepless: Loosely based on Warren Ellis's comic book series of the same name about a trust-fund baby and boy genius who is shunned by the counter-culture he helped found. After disappearing from the city of Heavenside three years ago, he suddenly returns having undergone some changes during the interim. Upon his return, he's transformed himself from a relatively mundane man into what he describes as a cartoon mad scientist. Written by . JEG: Loosely based on the life of James E. McGreevey. Think: The West Wing meets Citizen Baines. Written by Karyn Usher & Paula Yoo. Humanial: A mix of Moonlighting, Seeing Things, Remington Steele, and Medium. Written by Glenn Gordon Caron. Think, You Are: A mix of Now and Again, Alias and The Prisoner. Written by Daniel Arkin & Rick Eid. [[]]: The personal and professional life of Isaac Wint, pastor of a non-denominational megachurch in Austin, TX. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on the lives of Ralph Lauren, Donna Karan, Gianni Versace, and Calvin Klein. Written by Sally Sussman Morina. More Than Kin: An adaptation of Less Than Kind about a family struggling to operate a driving school out of their home in Omaha, NE. Written by . American Century: Harry Block, a World War II veteran, fakes his own death and makes his way to Central America to create a new identity for himself as Harry Kraft, a hard-drinking smuggler. During a war in Guatemala, a CIA operative blackmails Block into assassinating Rosa de Santiis, a popular leader in opposition to the CIA puppet dictator General Zavala. Afterward, he heads back to the United States, taking a road trip from Hollywood to Chicago to New York, exploring myriad avenues of 1950s American culture. Written by Howard Chaykin. Transmetropolitan: Based on the comic book of the same name. Spider Jerusalem dedicates himself to fighting the corruption and abuse of power of two successive American presidents; he and his assistants strive to keep their world from turning more dystopian than it already is while dealing with the struggles of fame and power, brought about due to the popularity of Spider via his articles. Written by . Deadenders: Loosely based on the comic book series of the same name about a post-apocalyptic future in New Bethleham. Written by Ed Brubaker. [[]]: The ongoings of a Motown-esque record company in the 1970s. Written by Trey Ellis & Travis Donnelly. Southern Ranch: Loosely based on the Dumas Brothel and Chicken Ranch in 1952. Written by . Oh! Calcutta!: Loosely based on the musical of the same name. Written by . Rule of The Bone: Loosely based on Russell Banks' book of the same name about a teenage drug dealer living with his mother and his abusive stepfather. He runs away from home to live with his best friend and a biker gang. Bone, although a hardened drug dealer on the outside, is revealed to be quite compassionate, wanting to free an abused girl named Froggy from her captor and to return his mentor I-Man back to his home. In the end he gives up on family. Written by . The Motion of Water: Loosely based on the Galveston and Florida Keys hurricanes. Written by . Breath & Blood: Loosely based on the life of Herman Webster Mudgett, The Torture Doctor, and H. H. Holmes: America's First Serial Killer in 1917. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on Mike Resnick's Distant Replay about a man who sees a woman that looks exactly like his deceased wife. As he gets to know her, he discovers that she has too many things in common for this to be a coincidence. Think Dollhouse meets Now and Again. Written by . The Fortress of Solitude: Loosely based on Jonathan Lethem's book of the same name about two teenage friends, one European and one African, who discover a magic ring. It explores the issues of race and culture, gentrification, self-discovery, and music. Written by . Chip Off The Old Bloch: An examination of father/son relationships loosely based on Michael Chabon's Manhood For Amateurs: The Pleasures and Regrets of a Husband, Father, and Son. Written by . You Don't Love Me Yet: About alternative music in modern day Los Angeles. Written by Jonathan Lethem. Chronic City: Based on Jonathan Lethem's book of the same name about a circle of friends including a faded child-star actor, a cultural critic, a hack ghost-writer of autobiographies, and a city official. Written by . Thicker Than Blackwater: Loosely based on Brian Azzarello's comic book series, Loveless, about the dynamic relationship between Wes Cutter, a sheriff, and the townspeople (most of whom hate him), the fate of Cutter's wife, and the lingering feelings of animosity between North and South after the end of the US Civil War. Written by Brian Azzarello. Tenth of December: Based on George Saunders' book of the same name. Written by . Werewolves In Their Youth: Loosely based on Michael Chabon's book of the same name about problems arising in marriages. Written by . Husband & Wife: A fictionalized version of Married in America set in Louisville, KY. Written by Linda Gase, Anthony Sparks & Jeffrey Stepakoff. Philyations: A mix of Babyfather, Sex & The City and Manchild in 2002. Set in Philadelphia, PA. Written by Thomas Bradshaw & Alexa Junge. Faces of January: Loosely based on Patricia Highsmith's The Two Faces of January, The Glass Cell, Those Who Walk Away, and the life of Joseph Weil. Written by . The Sense of The Past: Loosely based on Henry James book of the same name about an American who trades places with a remote ancestor in early 19th century England, and encounters many complications in his new surroundings. Written by . Black Fury: Loosely based on the comic book series of the same name about Miss Fury. Her alter ego is wealthy socialite Marla Drake. Written by . Thomas/Tommy/Tom: Loosely based on Patricia Highsmith's Tom Ripley book series. Written by . The King of America: Loosely based on Rod Glenn book of the same name. Set in an America where the future merges with the past, the king is betrayed by his closest friend, plunging the nation into a civil war.As the two sides collide, the king is cast into a desperate chase across America as Lexus dedicates every resource to the hunt. Written by . Women of Manhattan: Loosely based on John Patrick Shanley's play of the same name about the lives of three NYC women: one has recently split up with her boyfriend, one is married, and one is considered a fag hag by the other two. Written by . The Authority: Based on Warren Ellis's comic book series of the same name about a team of superheroes who get the job done by any means necessary. Written by . Shock & Awe: Loosely based on Keith Harmon Snow, a former genocide investigator who is considered persona non grata in Rwanda and Ethiopia. Written by . Crooked Little Vein: Loosely based on Warren Ellis's book of the same name about Michael McGill, a burned-out private investigator, who is hired by a corrupt White House Chief of Staff to find a second "secret" U.S. Constitution, which had been lost in a whorehouse by Richard Nixon. What follows is a scavenger hunt across America, exposing its seedier side along the way. McGill is joined by surreal college student side-kick, Trix, who is writing a thesis on sexual fetishes. Written by . Black Summer: Loosely based on Warren Ellis's comic book series of the same name about The Seven Guns, an association of politically-aware scientist-inventors, who create their own superhuman enhancements through extreme body modifications experiments. Written by . Global Frequency: Loosely based on Warren Ellis's comic book series of the same name about an independent, covert intelligence organization headed by a former intelligence agent. The purpose of the organization is to protect and rescue the world from the consequences of the various secret projects that the governments of the world have established, which are unknown to the public at large. The people on the Global Frequency are chosen and called on for their specialized skills in a variety of areas, from military personnel, intelligence agents, police detectives to scientific researchers, academics, athletes, former criminals and assassins. These threats that the organization deals with are equally varied and usually world-threatening, ranging from rogue military operations and paranormal phenomena to terrorist attacks and religious cults. Written by Scott Nimerfro & John Rogers. Dangerous Bill: Loosely based on the life of Bill Hicks, a stand-up comedian, satirist, and social critic. Written by . 13th Grade: A slacker 18 year old as he navigates the world of community college after just being dumped by his girlfriend. Written by Derek Waters. Cripro: A spoof on crime procedurals about a washed-up TV action hero - who at the peak of his career was ceremonially deputized by local law enforcement - falsely believes he can solve crimes in real life. His student, Jason, becomes his sidekick. Think: Lookwell meets Reno 911!. Written by Conan O'Brien, Robert Smigel & Andy Richter. Consultant: Peter Blauner Tear A Bull (aka Double T): A satirical look at the personal and professional lives of a low-level member of the Texas Legislature and his staff. Written by Larry Wilmore. Consultant: Lee Blessing. Infinite Jest: Based on David Foster Wallace's book of the same name about the missing master copy of a film cartridge, titled Infinite Jest and referred to in the novel as "the Entertainment" or "the samizdat". The film, so entertaining to its viewers that they lose all interest in anything other than viewing it and thus eventually die, was the final work of James O. Incandenza before his suicide by microwave. He completed it during a stint of sobriety requested by its lead actress, Joelle Van Dyne. Quebecois separatists are interested in acquiring a master, redistributable copy of the work to aid in acts of terrorism against the United States. The United States Office of Unspecified Services is seeking to intercept the master copy of the film to prevent mass dissemination and the destabilization of the Organization of North American Nations. Joelle and later Hal seek treatment for substance abuse problems at The Ennet House Drug and Alcohol Recovery House, and Marathe visits the rehabilitation center to pursue a lead on the master copy of the Entertainment, tying the characters and plots together. Written by . I Am Monica Saunders: A fictionalized version of Martha Stewart in 1996. Written by Bob Bartlett. Addicks: A pair of recovering addicts: one's an ex-drug dealer/gigolo, the other's an heir to a fortune he can't collect until he's sober. Written by Jason Dean Hall & Justin Spitzer. American Darkness: A man relocates his family to a town run by a powerful, but mysterious tycoon. They soon realize that not everything in the town is as it seems. A mix of Picket Fences, American Gothic, The Dead Zone, The X-Files, and A Clockwork Orange. Written by . Beat Generation: A group of American post-World War II writers who come to prominence in the 1950s, as well as the cultural phenomena they document and inspire. Central elements of the beat culture include rejection of received standards, innovations in style, experimentation with drugs, alternative sexualities, an interest in Eastern religion, a rejection of materialism, and explicit portrayals of the human condition. Written by . American Post: The personal and professional lives of staff at a Huffington Post-type website. A mix of The Eleventh Hour, and The Newsroom. Written by Cherie Bennett & Jeff Gottesfeld. Consultant: Gerald Early The Marriage Plot: Loosely based on Jeffrey Eugenides's book of the same name about three female college friends beginning in their senior year in 1982. Written by . I Do, Sometimes: Exploring mixed-orientation marriages. A mix of Far From Heaven, Once & Again, Mulligans, A Single Man, and Shortbus. Written by Todd Haynes & Eileen Myers. Big Machine: Based on Victor LaValle's book of the same name. Ricky Rice is an ex-junkie African bus station porter survivor of a suicide cult whose life is changed when a mysterious letter arrives summoning him to a remote compound in Vermont. Written by Victor LaValle. The Broom of The System: Loosely based on David Foster Wallace's book of the same name about an emotionally challenged woman questions her own reality as she navigates three separate crises: her great-grandmother's escape from a nursing home, a neurotic boyfriend, and a suddenly vocal pet cockatiel. Written by . Scalped: Based on the comic book series of the same name about the residents of an Indian reservation in modern-day South Dakota as they grapple with organized crime, poverty, alcoholism, local politics and the preservation of their cultural identity. Written by . All That Is: Loosely based on James Slater’s book of the same name about a naval officer who returns to America and finds a position as a book editor. In this world of dinners, deals, and literary careers, Bowman finds that he fits in perfectly. But despite his success, what eludes him is love. His first marriage goes bad, another fails to happen, and finally he meets a woman who enthralls him—before setting him on a course he could never have imagined for himself. Romantic and haunting as it explores a life unfolding in a world on the brink of change. It is a dazzling, sometimes devastating labyrinth of love and ambition, a fiercely intimate account of the great shocks and grand pleasures of being alive. Written by . With or Without You: Loosely based on Domenica Ruta’s book of the same name. Domenica grew up in a working-class, unforgiving town north of Boston, in a trash-filled house on a dead-end road surrounded by a river and a salt marsh. Her mother, Kathi, a notorious local figure, was a drug addict and sometimes dealer whose life swung between welfare and riches, and whose highbrow taste was at odds with her hardscrabble life. And yet she managed, despite the chaos she created, to instill in her daughter a love of stories. Written by . The Glass Castle: Loosely based on Jeannette Walls’ book of the same name. Written by . Where'd You Go, Bernadette: Based on Maria Semple's book of the same name. Once a revered architect, Bernadette has become such a neurotic mess that she outsources her simplest errands to a virtual assistant in India. When Bernadette suddenly disappears, Bee follows her mother's unusual paper trail to track her down. Written by Maria Semple. Triburbia: Based on Karl Taro Greenfeld's book of the same name about a group of families in a fashionable Manhattan neighborhood wrestling with the dark realities of their lives. A hip group of fathers meet every morning for breakfast and banter while glossing over the dysfunction festering in the privacy of their airy lofts: affairs, bad marriages, bad kids, accusations of fabricating a memoir, etc. These one-percenters appear to have everything, but they're ruined by too many options; as a result, their lives end up looking like those of dissatisfied suburbanites, only a bit uglier. Written by . We Only Know So Much: Loosely based on Elizabeth Crane's book of the same name about a dysfunctional family: Jean, the people-pleasing mother who's having an affair; her husband, Gordon, an insufferable know-it-all who's losing his memory; Priscilla, a text-a-minute brat who dreams of becoming a reality TV star; and Otis, an offbeat loner longing for love. Our narrator is an omniscient We who reports the goings-on of the family with the breathless glee of an incurable gossip. Written by Elle Triedman & Nikki Toscano. Inside: Based on Alix Ohlin's book of the same name. A therapist rescues a man from an attempted suicide only to fall in love with him; a deeply troubled aspiring actress takes in the homeless runaway sleeping on her doorstep; a divorcée starved for connection leaves one hopeless situation for another. Written by . The Expats: Loosely based on Chris Pavone's book of the same name. When her husband, Dexter, lands a high-paying job in Luxembourg, Kate Moore gladly quits her secret life as a CIA agent to reinvent herself as an expat housewife. But she has to put her espionage skills to use again when another American couple arrives in town and tells her that Dexter might have a secret life of his own. Written by . Ten Thousand Saints: Based on Eleanor Henderson's book of the same name about a group of friends, lovers, parents and children through the straight-edge music scene and the early days of the AIDS epidemic. Written by . Drop City: Loosely based on T. Coraghessan Boyle's book of the same name. It is 1970, and a California commune has decided to relocate to the last frontier—the unforgiving landscape of interior Alaska—in the ultimate expression of going back to the land. Armed with the spirit of adventure and naïve optimism, the inhabitants arrive in the wilderness of Alaska only to find their utopia already populated by other young homesteaders. When the two communities collide, unexpected friendships and dangerous enmities are born as everyone struggles with the bare essentials of life: love, nourishment, and a roof over one’s head. Written by . Wonderland: Loosely based on Joyce Carol Oates's book of the same name. Written by . [[]]: The exploits of a record label. Written by Dan Ahearn & David Caudle. [[]]: A mysterious institute which studies the human mind. A mix of Dollhouse, The Second Lady, The Manchurian Candidate, The Pretender, and Now and Again. Written by Javier Grillo-Marxuach, Juan Carlos Coto & Dean Widenmann. [[]]: Loosely based on the Atlanta Child Murders and Charles Sanders. Written by Geoffrey S. Fletcher. [[]]: Loosely based on the lives of Alfred Kinsey, Richard von Krafft-Ebing, Havelock Ellis, Magnus Hirschfeld, Kurt Freund & Vern Bullough. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Ralph David Abernathy Sr.. Written by . [[]]: The exploits of the sex industry in 1973. A mix of Boogie Nights and The Fluffer. Written by . [[]]: The personal and professional lives of the Kentucky Supreme Court justices. Think: First Monday meets The West Wing. Written by Evan Katz, Ellen Herman & Christopher Ambrose. [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Harry Belafonte. Written by . [[]]: A former football player, Redde Wycel, is charged with the murder of his ex wife, and tries to uncover the truth about her death. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on the Breckinridge family in 1797. Written by . The Man: Loosely based on Irving Wallace's book of the same name about the socio-political consequences in U.S. society when a black man becomes President of America. Written by . Ooh! Ah!: The lives of sex therapists and their clients. Written by Jim Leonard & Kate Robin. [[]]: Loosely based on the life of George Edwin Taylor. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Sam Cooke. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on The Jackson 5 in 1975. Written by . Pause: The ongoings of a Rolling Stone type magazine in 1977. Written by Jon Harmon Feldman & Dana Baratta. [[]]: Comedic look at married life. A mix of Mad About You, Married People, and The King of Queens. Written by Michael J. Weithorn, David Litt & Rob Ulin. News Rock: The ongoings of a fictional TV news station. Think: Cop Rock with journalists. Written by Bob Lowry, Michael Hollinger & Adam Gwon. [[]]: The lives of hospice care workers. Theme song: Audra Mae's My Lonely Worry. Written by Dahvi Waller & Joan Binder Weiss. [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Brad Blanton, the man who developed radical honesty. Written by . [[]]: The lives of a Spice Girls type group. Written by Mike Herro & David Strauss. [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Stokely Carmichael. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on the life of James Bevel. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on the life of James Arthur Baldwin, a novelist, essayist, playwright, poet, and social critic. Written by . [[]]: The life of a Marilyn Monroe type woman in 1964. Written by Josh Reims & Bruce Miller. [[]]: A fictionalized version of The Phil Donahue Show. Written by . [[]]: A spoof on court shows about two judges. A mix of Judge Judy and Judge Joe Brown. Written by Jennifer Celotta & Anthony Q. Farrell. [[]]: The complexities of open relationships. A mix of Swingtown and Once and Again. Theme by Melissa McClelland. Written by Mike Kelley & David Schulner. [[]]: Loosely based on Lisa Arends's Lessons From the End of A Marriage. Written by Victoria Morrow, Coleman Herbert & Scott Teems. Private Nature: The ongoings of an escort agency in San Francisco. Written by Gina Fattore & Tom Kapinos. [[]]: Loosely based on the life of David Vitter. Written by . [[]]: The life of a Vince McMahon type man. Written by Daniel Chun & Phil Johnston. [[]]: The life of an Estée Lauder type woman. Written by Katherine Fugate. American District: The ongoings of a Washington, D.C. based public relations firm. A mix of The Good Wife and The West Wing. Written by Barry M. Schkolnick, Steve Lichtman & Alexandra Cunningham. [[]]: Loosely based on the lives of Ted Haggard and Paul Barnes. Written by . American Politricks (aka American Complex): Satire on American politics and the mainstream media. A mix of That's My Bush! and Veep. Theme song: Morrissey's Let Me Kiss You. Written by David Bickel, Halsted Sullivan & Ken Urban. [[]]: The lives of members of a Ku Klux Klan type of group in 1924. Written by Keith Josef Adkins. Seasons of Life: Coming of age 1965 drama in San Francisco, CA. Written by Toni Graphia & Jill Gordon. Flycatcher: The life of an Anita Bryant type woman in 1979. Written by . American Tabloid: Loosely based on James Ellroy's Underworld USA Trilogy about political and legal corruption. Written by . Fill In The Blanks: An espionage team of former members of the FBI, DIA, DEA, and CIA. A mix of Counterstrike, The Equalizer, La Femme Nikita, Alias, and The Unit. Written by David Mamet & Lynn Mamet. Consultant: Stephen L. Carter. American Tycoon: Loosely based on Harold Robbins' Tycoon about an entrepreneur who builds an empire in broadcasting. Written by Anne Kenney & Daniel Steck. [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Theodore Roosevelt Mason Howard, a civil rights/fraternal organization leader, entrepreneur and surgeon. Written by . American Blaks (aka So Blak!): A no holds barred satire on black life in America. Loosely based on the lives of Richard Pryor, Dick Gregory, Patrice O'Neal, and Steve "The Dean" Williams. Written by Warren Hutcherson, Malcolm D. Lee & Lamont Ferrell. Cookbrity: The life of a Bobby Flay type celebrity cook. Written by Peter Ocko, Allison Silverman & Vijal Patel. [[]]: The life of a Rush Limbaugh/Glenn Beck/Mark Levin type radio talk show host. Written by Angus MacLachlan. American Peaks: Loosely based on the Thurston County ritual abuse case, Dissociative identity disorder, File 18, and the lives of John DeCamp, Elizabeth Loftus and Valerie Sinason. Written by . International Cunts (aka i-Cunts): A blistering look at humanity. Written by . K Is For Killing: Loosely based on Daniel Easterman's book of the same name in which America is ruled by a coalition of the America First Committee and Ku Klux Klan. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Jim Jones. Written by . [[]]: A mix of Nowhere Man, The Prisoner, The Pretender, North by Northwest, and Three Days of the Condor. Written by Laurence Andries & Sam Humphrey. To Live & Die In Tucson: An unflinching look at mental health issues in America. Set in Tucson, AZ. Written by Davey Holmes. [[]]: Based on the Black Arts Movement. Written by . 21st Century Matches: The life of a Patti Stanger type woman. Written by Melanie Marnich & Barry O'Brien. [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Ralph Waldo Greene Jr.. Written by . [[]]: The lives of a White Panther Party type political collective in 1968. Written by . The Broken Hearts Club: A coming of age drama loosely based on The Broken Hearts Club: A Romantic Comedy. Written by . [[]]: The life of an Ann Coulter type woman. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Marcus Mosiah Garvey Jr. Written by . [[]]: The ongoings of the Allegheny County council. A mix of The West Wing and Boss. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Eddie Noel. Written by . [[]]: The life of a JFK Jr. type socialite. Written by Roger Wolfson. [[]]: The ongoings of a non-denominational Christian college in Bakersfield, CA. Written by . [[]]: The life of the governor of Ohio and his staff. Think: The West Wing meets House of Cards. Written by . [[]]: The ongoings of a Christian Voice type political advocacy group. Written by . Peachtree Lines: The personal and professional life of Lincoln Rylan, mayor of Atlanta, and his staff. A mix of The West Wing, Boss, and House of Cards. Written by . The Fake & The Fakest: A fictionalized version of The Real Housewives. Written by Linwood Boomer & Matt Hubbard. [[]]: The life of a George Wallace type politician. Written by . Polialk: Satire on American political talk shows. A mix of Crossfire, Firing Line, The McLaughlin Group, and The Chris Matthews Show. Theme song: Lydia Taylor's Love A Little Harder. Written by Robert Carlock, Bob Brush & Norma Safford Vela. [[]]: The life of a Daniel Keenan Savage type man. Written by . Phantom Stranger: Based on the comic book character of the same name with unspecified paranormal origins who battles mysterious and occult forces. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Ella Fitzgerald. Written by Darnell Martin & Michael Elliot. [[]]: The ongoings of a public-access television station. Think: Public Access meets Alternative Views in 1999. Written by . [[]]: The life of a Steve Forbes type publishing executive. Written by Taylor Elmore. [[]]: The life of a David Geffen type record executive, screen/theatrical producer, and philanthropist in 1982. Written by R. Scott Gemmill. [[]]: The life of a Matthew Nathan Drudge type man in 2003. Written by . [[]]: A mix of Regarding Henry, Marvin's Room, Bringing Out the Dead, Wit, Closer, The Squid and the Whale, and Margot at the Wedding. Written by Noah Baumbach, Rick Moody & Ann Patchett. [[]]: A mix of White Sands, The Man Who Knew Too Much, North by Northwest, and Freedomland. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on Upton Sinclair's The Jungle about poverty, the absence of social programs, unpleasant living and working conditions, and the hopelessness prevalent among the working class, which is contrasted with the deeply rooted corruption of people in power. Written by . [[]]: The ongoings of a National Review type magazine. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Orval Faubus. Written by Gregory Poirier & Paul Redford. Atomic Knight: Loosely based on the comic book character of the same name. Written by . [[]]: The ongoings of an interior design firm in Minneapolis, MN. A mix of Designing Women, Will & Grace, and The Office. Written by Carrie Kemper, Graham Wagner & David M. Matthews. [[]]: The ongoings of a venture capital firm. A mix of Profit, Revenge, and Chinatown. Written by . The Royal Tenenbaums: Loosely based on the film of the same name. Written by Anthony Q. Farrell & Derek Ahonen. Sidney's Window: Loosely based on Lorraine Hansberry's The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window about a man named Sidney, his pitfalls within his personal life, and struggles in Bohemian culture. Written by . The Good Widow: A mix of The Good Wife, The Brethren, The Confession, and the D.C. Madam scandal of 2006. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on the events leading up to Ruby Ridge. Written by . [[]]: The ongoings of a Bank of America type bank in 2005. Inspired by The International. Written by . Drof Men: The ongoings of a multinational automaker in 1987. Think: Mad Men with cars. Written by Will Rokos. [[]]: The ongoings of a pharmaceutical corporation. Written by Melinda Hsu Taylor & Robert L. Rovner. [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Joe Francis, creator of Girls Gone Wild. Written by . [[]]: The rise and fall of a pop music group in 1966. Inspired by Paul McCartney Died In 1966 urban legend. Written by . [[]]: The ongoings of a male revue in 2008. Written by Rob Fresco, Jill E. Blotevogel & Jason Ning. Undisclosed: Loosely based on Michal Milstein & Marlin Marynick's Undisclosed: Secrets of The AIDS Epidemic. Written by . American Krime (aka Krime In The USA): A mockumentary-style parody of law enforcement documentary shows and crime procedurals. A mix of Reno 911!, Miami Vice, Law & Order, NYPD Blue, and the CSI franchise. Written by Sean Abley, Liz Duffy Adams & Jeffrey Adams. It's Just Sex: Satire on the American sexual revolution. Written by Thomas McCarthy. [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Andy Warhol. Written by Michael Dahlie & Allison Lynn. [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Walter Washington, the first mayor of the District of Columbia. Written by . American Fluff: The life of a male fluffer. Written by Steve Hely. [[]]: Set against the backdrop of the Holy Week Uprising. A mix of I'll Fly Away, Homefront, Any Day Now, and Crash. Written by Gregory Allen Howard, Gary Hardwick, Rob Hardy & Brian Bird. [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Johnnie L. Cochran Jr.. Written by . [[]]: The ongoings of a cosmetics company in 1992. Think: Mad Men with makeup. Written by Amy Herzog & Lisa Joy. [[]]: The personal and professional lives of clinical psychologists. Written by . [[]]: The ongoings of a modeling agency in 2006. Written by Annie Weisman & Natalie Krinsky. [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Tina Turner in 1987. Written by Janine Sherman Barrois & Elizabeth Hunter. [[]]: The ongoings of an upscale lifestyle company and fashion retailer. Written by Wendy Mericle & Sara Parriott. [[]]: The ongoings of a real estate firm. Written by Adele Lim & William H. Brown. [[]]: The life of a cultural critic. Written by Thomas McCarthy. [[]]: Loosely based on the life of James Brown. Written by Reggie Rock Bythewood & Gina Prince-Bythewood. Empire: Based on Orson Scott Card's book series of the same name about a possible second American Civil War, this time between the Right Wing and Left Wing in the near future. Written by . [[]]: A spoof on primetime serials centering around a wealthy clan. A mix of Dallas, Dynasty, Falcon Crest, The Colbys, Titans, and Pasadena. Written by Matt Whitney, Jeanne Leitenberg & Annemarie Navar-Gill. [[]]: Based on David Wellington's werewolf series Frostbite and Overwinter. Written by . [[]]: A mix of The Parallax View, The Domino Principle, Blow Out, No Way Out and Enemy of The State. Written by David Ayer & John Sayles. Animal Man: Based on the comic book character of the same name. Bernhard Baker acquires the ability to temporarily “borrow” the abilities of animals. Using these powers, he fights crime as the costumed superhero. Written by . Philly Blues (aka Bluesidelphia): The lives of the Philadelphia Police Department's officers. A mix of The Chicago Code, Southland, Miami Vice, and Robbery Homicide Division. Written by David Graziano, Angela Amato Velez & Todd A. Kessler. Etta Jenks: Loosely based on the play of the same name about a young woman who chases her dreams to sun-soaked LA to become a movie star, but soon the shadows of this city rear up to claim her. Etta aspires to succeed but is sucked down into the porn industry, a world which seduces and abuses, and can illuminate your name in dirty neon. A dark comic thriller about sex and survival. Written by Marlane Gomard Meyer. [[]]: The life of Andrew Johnson, 17th President of the United States, in 1837. Written by . Jack: Loosely based on the life of John Arthur Johnson in 1933. Written by . Dayworld: Loosely based on Philip José Farmer's book series of the same name about a dystopian future in which an overpopulated world solves the problem by allocating people only one day per week. For the rest of the six days they are 'stoned,' a kind of suspended animation. Written by Rand Ravich, Far Shariat & Hans Tobeason. [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Joseph Nicolosi, founder of the NARTH. Written by . [[]]: The ongoings of a Peoples Temple type religious organization in 1991. Written by . [[]]: A satirical look at suburban life with an examination of the Christian left, Christian right, social conservatism, and libertarian conservatism ideologies. A mix of Polyester, Celebrity, American Beauty & Desperate Housewives. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Richard Wayne Penniman aka Little Richard. Written by . [[]]: The lives of U.S. armed forces members returning home from the Afghanistan and Iraq War. Written by Lydia Woodward, Moira Walley-Beckett & Nancy Hult Ganis. [[]]: The lives of political consultants, campaign managers, lobbyists, and advocacy journalists. A mix of Lou Grant, The West Wing, Breaking News, and The Eleventh Hour. Written by Adam Johnson. [[]]: The ongoings of a Minor League Baseball team in Ohio. Written by Jamie Gorenberg & David Schladweiler. The Tales of Alvin Maker: Based on Orson Scott Card's book series about a man who discovers he has incredible powers for creating and shaping things around him. It takes place in an alternate history of the American frontier in the early 19th century, to some extent based on early American folklore and superstition. Written by Orson Scott Card. Congorilla: Based on the comic book character of the same name. Written by . The Rule of Fate: Loosely based on the play of the same name about a Hollywood film family. Written by Marlane Gomard Meyer. Mister Harding: The life of Warren G. Harding in 1920. Written by . [[]]: A fictionalized version of The Day the Music Died in 1999. Written by . [[]]: The ongoings of a casual dining restaurant chain. Written by John A. Norris & Terrence Coli. [[]]: The life of a federal judge in Texas. Written by Carol Flint, Lauren Schmidt Hissrich & Peter Noah. Sharp Teeth: Based on Toby Barlow's book of the same name about packs of werewolves struggling for power in the underbelly of Los Angeles. Written by Angelina Burnett & Sarah Thorp. Teendom: A parody of teen television series and films. A mix of Election, Heathers, Varsity Blues, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Bring It On, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Never Been Kissed, Cruel Intentions, Mean Girls, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Clueless, Dead Poets Society, Lean On Me, Juno, Veronica Mars, Dawson's Creek, My So-Called Life, Gilmore Girls, Gossip Girl, Ready or Not, Popular, and But I'm a Cheerleader. Written by David B. Harris, Austin Winsberg & Emily Whitesell. [[]]: The life of a Helen Kendrick Johnson type writer and prominent activist opposing the women's suffrage movement in 1911. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Karl Heinrich Ulrichs, pioneer of the modern homosexual rights movement, in 1935. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Leonard Matlovich in 1991. Written by . [[]]: The ongoings of a Philadelphia private club in 1962. Loosely based on the Yale Club of New York City. Written by . [[]]: The ongoings of an alternative medical practice in Omaha, NE. Written by Yahlin Chang, Tom Garrigus & Patrick Harbinson. Polymerican: The lives of polyamorous people. Written by Tracy Letts. [[]]: Loosely based on the lives of Kenneth Bancroft Clark and Mamie Phipps Clark. Written by Diane Ademu-John. [[]]: A man runs for elected office after a 20 year break. A mix of Citizen Baines, The Wire, and Boss. Written by James Yoshimura, Robert Schenkkan & Jesse Stern. The Geography of Luck: Loosely based on the play of the same name about a former rockabilly star who is released from prison on parole. He was serving a sentence for murdering his wife. Written by Marlane Gomard Meyer. Little, Big: Loosely based on John Crowley's book of the same name about the intertwined family trees of the Drinkwaters and their relations—from the turn of the twentieth century to a sparsely-described dystopian future America ruled by a sinister despot. Written by John Crowley. Four Freedoms: Loosely based on John Crowley's book of the same name centering around a fictional aircraft manufacturing plant during the 1940s. Written by . The Story Sisters: Loosely based on Alice Hoffman's book of the same name: a dark family saga of three sisters plagued by uncommon sadness. Written by Alice Hoffman. Women and Men: Loosely based on Joseph McElroy's book of the same name about the life, the partly mythic ancestry, and the partly science fictional future of James Mayn, a business and technology journalist. Written by . Mister Roosevelt: The life of Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1911. Written by . [[]]: Mystery surrounding the death of a deputy mayor in 1989. Upon his death, shoeboxes and briefcases with more than $900,000 in cash are found in his home along with 19 cases of whiskey, 8 transistor radios, and 102 packs of cigarettes. Inspired by Paul Taylor Powell. Written by Salvatore Stabile. The Wicked Years: Based on the book series of the same name which are a revisionist take on The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and related books. Written by Gregory Maguire & Chris Provenzano. [[]]: The life of a Washington, D.C. socialite and philanthropist. Written by Tristine Skyler & Kath Lingenfelter. [[]]: Loosely based on the life of John Nance Garner IV in 1979. Written by . [[]]: The life of Abigail Adams. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Cordell Hull, the longest serving U.S. Secretary of State. Written by . The Color of Water: Loosely based on the memoir The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother. Written by James McBride & Craig Brewer. [[]]: Life in the Confederate States of America in 1861. Written by Andre Jacquemetton, Maria Jacquemetton, Michael C. Martin & Tanya Hamilton. [[]]: Life in the Roman Empire. Written by Scott Buck & John Milius. [[]]: Loosely based on Joseph and His Friend: A Story of Pennsylvania. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Henry Gerber, a homosexual rights activist, in 1931. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Idi Amin. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Robert Mugabe in 1973. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Don Mellett in 1929, a journalist who was assassinated after confronting local organized crime. Written by Steve Lichtman, Rob Ackerman & John Mankiewicz. [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Patrice Lumumba. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Walter Liggett in 1946 who exposed a criminal syndicate between organized crime and the Minnesota political establishment. Written by Shelley Meals & Darin Goldberg. [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Dulcie September. Written by Becky Mode & Karyn Usher. Outline of My Lover: Loosely based on Douglas A. Martin's book of the same name in which the central character has a long term romantic relationship with the lead singer of a successful southern alternative band. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Louis Botha, the first Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on Philip José Farmer's A Barnstormer in Oz in which the Hank Stover, a pilot and the son of Dorothy Gale, finds himself in Oz when his plane gets lost in a green cloud over Kansas. The Oz he discovers is on the brink of civil war; he encounters Erakna, the new Wicked Witch. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Leslie Lynch King, Jr., the first unelected President of America. Written by . [[]]: A journalist with close ties to the Mafia in the 80s. Written by Brian Burns & Edward Fitzgerald Burns. [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Jan Smuts who served as Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa from 1919 until 1924 and from 1939 until 1948. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Elijah Parish Lovejoy in 1849. Written by Lewis Colick & John Pielmeier. [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Hendrik Verwoerd, the man behind the conception and implementation of apartheid. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on the life of James Earl Carter Jr., the 39th President of America. Written by . Fade: Loosely based on Robert Cormier's book of the same name about a teenage boy who discovers he can "fade". "Fading" is the term used for becoming invisible. Written by James Stoteraux, Chad Fiveash & Abby Gewanter. [[]]: Loosely based on the life of F. W. de Klerk, the last State President of apartheid-era South Africa. Written by . In The Middle of The Night: Loosely based on Robert Cormier's book of the same name about a teenage boy whose father was involved in a tragic accident that killed several children. He's not allowed to drive or answer the phone and his family moves so often he's always the new kid in school. But one afternoon, Denny disobeys his parents and answers a phone call, after which he finds himself drawn into a relationship with the mystery caller...someone who wants revenge. Written by David Fury & Frank Renzulli. [[]]: Based on Mark Z. Danielewski's House of Leaves and The Whalestoe Letters. Written by Mark Z. Danielewski. [[]]: Based on the actions of the African National Congress in 1912. Written by . Here On Earth: Loosely based on Alice Hoffman's book of the same name about a woman who returns with her teenage daughter to the Massachusetts town where she grew up. After returning to the town that she grew up in, she finds herself reunited with a lost love. This dark and twisted tale tells of the capabilities of love and how far one is willing to go for it. Written by . [[]]: Based on the actions of the National Party, the governing party of South Africa from June 1948 until May 1994. Written by Ann Peacock, Troy Blacklaws, Mark Behr & Shawn Slovo. [[]]: Loosely based on the British series Absolutely Fabulous. Written by . [[]]: The life of a Jesse Woodson James type man in 1897. Written by Kater Gordon. [[]]: Loosely based on the American Indian Movement, a Native American organization in 1968. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on the British series The Vicar of Dibley. Written by . Are You Served?: Loosely based on the British series Are You Being Served?. Written by . [[]]: Based on William Edward Burghardt Du Bois's Black Flame trilogy. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Mark R. M. Wahlberg in 1993. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on the British series Only Fools and Horses. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Charles Lindbergh. Written by Rolin Jones & Robin Veith. 191: Based on the Southern Victory Series by Harry Turtledove which depicts a world in which the Confederacy won the American Civil War. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Robert George Seale, co-founder of the Black Panther Party. Written by . Resurrection Day: Loosely based on the book of the same name where the Cuban missile crisis escalated to a full-scale war, the Soviet Union is devastated, and the USA has been reduced to a third-rate power, relying on Britain for aid. Written by Brendan DuBois. [[]]: Based on Philip José Farmer's trilogy A Feast Unknown, Lord of the Trees and The Mad Goblin. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on the kidnapping of Charles Augustus Lindbergh Jr. in 1982. Written by Andre Jacquemetton & Maria Jacquemetton. [[]]: Based on the Civil War book series by Newt Gingrich, William R. Forstchen, and Albert S. Hanser. Written by . The World Next Door: Loosely based on the book of the same name. It takes place in the mid-1990s, at two interlinked alternate realities. In one of them, the Cuban Missile Crisis had escalated into a major nuclear exchange. What was left of the United States disintegrated into numerous virtually-independent enclaves, though President John F. Kennedy is still alive in a bunker somewhere. Written by Brad Ferguson. [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Pocahontas in 1829. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on Replay. A radio journalist dies and awakens back in 1963 in his 18-year-old body. He then begins to relive his life with intact memories of the previous 25 years. This happens repeatedly with different events in each cycle. Written by George Mastras. 1—9—9—0: An examination of life in the 1990s. Set in Austin, TX. Written by Patrick Sheane Duncan & Paul J. Levine & Gennifer Hutchinson. Codex Alera: Based on Jim Butcher's book series of the same name. It chronicles the coming-of-age of Tavi in the realm of Alera, an empire similar to Rome, on the world of Carna. Every Aleran has some degree of command over elemental forces or spirits called furies, save for Tavi, who is considered unusual for his lack of one. As the aging First Lord struggles to maintain his hold on a realm on the brink of civil war, Tavi must use all of his intelligence to save Alera. Written by Jim Butcher. [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Rajmund Roman T. Polański. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Lena Horne. Written by Kasi Lemmons & Vondie Curtis-Hall. [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Lucille Ball. Written by . [[]]: A time travel comedy/drama/musical reimagining of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in 2000. Written by . [[]]: A parallel universe inhabited by humans, werewolves, ghosts, legendary creatures, and genetically engineered animals with human characteristics. Written by Scott Nimerfro & Sebastian Gutierrez. [[]]: Based on the life of Heracles, his consorts and children. Written by John Shiban & Sam Catlin. The Spellman Files: Based on Lisa Lutz's book series of the same name about a family of private investigators, who, while very close knit, are also intensely suspicious and spend much time investigating each other. Written by . [[]]: Based on George Pelecanos's Derek Strange and Terry Quinn, private investigators in Washington D.C. Written by . In The Garden: Loosely based on Norman Allen's play of the same name. The lives of four urban sophisticates are rocked by the arrival of a young man who is everything but what he seems. With unworldly charisma, the man constructs a web of seduction and theology grounded in the lessons of the New Testament. With high comedy and thought-provoking drama, it blends sexual conventions, high fashion, Nietzsche, and Christ in an uber-theatrical rollercoaster ride. Written by Norman Allen. The Good Spouse: A satire on American political scandals and how marriages are dealt in the midst of controversy. Inspired by The Good Wife. Written by . The Good Council: A satire on American politics in a small sized city. Written by . The Good State: A satire on state politics. Written by . The Bad Wife: A controversial female mayor deals with her personal and professional life amdist a sex scandal. Inspired by Linda Lusk. Written by . The Blue Code: A spoof on law enforcement shows. Think: Reno 911! meets The Chicago Code. Written by . American Special: The personal and professional lives of a top secret special forces team. A mix of The Unit, Last Resort, Strike Back, and Homeland. Written by . The Good Ambassador: A satire on American international relations. Think: The Office meets The West Wing. Written by . [[]]: The life of a polygamist family in Utah. Written by . Passing Seasons: A contemporary western about American social issues with drugs being the central focus. A mix of American Beauty, Far From Heaven, American History X, Six Feet Under, and Breaking Bad. Written by . American Dysfunction: Exploring the dynamics of dysfunction among American families. Written by . A.B.U.S.E.: The impact various forms of abuse (drug, sexual, physical, psychological) has on the lives of Americans. Written by . [[]]: A mysterious man's quest to join high society in 1983. Explores themes of reinvention, social upheaval, decadence, and personal, sexual and racial politics. Written by . Good Families: A satire on primetime serials such as Dallas, Knots Landing, Falcon Crest, and Desperate Housewives. Written by . The Good Couple: A satire on modern relationships. Written by . American Circuit: The ongoings of an American private military company. Written by . [[]]: The ongoings of a publishing company in 1977. Written by . [[]]: Homosexuality from 1949 to present day. Written by . Crime, She Wrote: A spoof on Murder, She Wrote. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on the Hatfield–McCoy feud in 1974. Written by . Good Health: A satire on the American health industry. Written by . The Good Company: A satire on corporate America. Written by . [[]]: The personal and professional lives of lawyers in the field of family law. A mix of Family Law, Judging Amy, and The Good Wife. Written by . [[]]: A deep exploration of sociopolitical themes and African American culture in Detroit. Written by . [[]]: The adult entertainment industry in 1973. Written by . [[]]: The life of an addiction counselor and recovering drug addict. Written by Jeffrey Lieber & Scott Erik Sommer. [[]]: The personal and professional life of a sports writer. Written by . Tales of The City: Based on Armistead Maupin's book series of the same name. Written by . American Collar: An examination of social classes. Written by . [[]]: An examination of dissociative identity disorder. Written by . Insatiable: Set in a small town where everyone has some sort of addiction. Written by Liz Brixius. [[]]: An examination of male prostitution. Written by . Blue In The USA: A mix of Sex & The City. Written by . Diary of A Manhattan Call Girl: Based on Tracy Quan's book series of the same name. Written by . [[]]: Loosely based on the life of Xaviera Hollander, a former call girl and madam. Written by . [[]]: An examination of intergenerational warfare through the lens of the 2007 financial crisis after a Michigan mayor files a Chapter 9 bankruptcy petition. Written by . [[]]: An examination of international criminal law. Written by . [[]]: An in depth look at personality disorders. Written by . [[]]: An examination of Christianity in America. Written by . T.H.R.I.L.L.E.R.: A legal, medical, political, and erotic thriller. Written by . U.N.D.E.R.G.R.O.U.N.D.: An examination of the underground life revolving around a team of rogue individuals: a journalist, a doctor, a lawyer, and a police detective. Written by . [[]]: An examination of the Reconstruction Era. Written by . [[]]: The ongoings of a fictional American airline set in 1970 and headquartered in Philadelphia. Written by Mike Daniels & Nick Thiel. [[]]: An examination of the impact of various political, sports, racial, sexual, and educational scandals in St. Louis, MO. Inspired by the Atlanta Public Schools cheating scandal. Written by . [[]]: The life of a travelling salesman in the Birmingham, AL area. Revolving around the ancient Egyptian concept of truth, balance, order, law, morality, and justice in 1974. Written by . [[]]: The ongoings of a Columbus, OH team in a fictional Canadian football league expansion in 2004. Written by . [[]]: Based on Karen Marie Moning's Fever book series. Written by . [[]]: An examination of anthropology and sociology in modern America. Written by . [[]]: The events leading up to Arizona Territory becoming the 48th state in 1910. Written by . [[]]: The ongoings of a multinational retail corporation based in Missouri. Written by . [[]]: The events leading up to the California Gold Rush and statehood in 1847. Written by . [[]]: The ongoings of a mysterious boomtown in 1988. Written by Ted Mann, Kem Nunn & James D. Parriott. [[]]: The ongoings of a multinational mass media and entertainment company. Think: Profit meets Mad Men. Written by . [[]]: The exploits of the judge advocates in the Department of the Army’s Office of the Judge Advocate General. Written by . [[]]: An examination of the Iraq War. Written by . [[]]: The ongoings of an academic health science centre in San Antonio, TX. Written by Regina Corrado & Nichole Beattie. [[]]: The ongoings of a sundown town in Texas during the 1940s. Written by . [[]]: The life of a professional golfer. Written by . [[]]: The world of professional and amateur handball. Written by . [[]]: The life of a freelance security consultant and trainer. Written by . [[]]: Based on Gregory Benford's Galactic Center Saga book series. Written by . [[]]: The ongoings of the United States Department of Justice Criminal Division. Written by . [[]]: A suburban gothic about the ongoings of a picturesque city with themes of naturalism. A mix of Twin Peaks and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. Written by . [[]]: An examination of hip hop culture in 1980. Written by . [[]]: An examination of African-American culture in Philadelphia during the 1990s. Written by Charles Murray, Ryan Coogler, Nelson George & Dee Rees. [[]]: The ongoings of a Los Angeles full-service talent and literary agency in 2004. Written by . [[]]: Based on Jack Womack's Dryco book series. Written by . [[]]: An examination of masculism in America. Written by . [[]]: The life of a business magnate in 1977. Written by Mitch Glazer & Eduardo Machado.

Will This Make You Laugh?: Stand-up comedians performing. A modern version of One Night Stand, ComicView, Premium Blend, Def Comedy Jam, and Comedy Central Presents. Hosted by Alonzo Bodden. Mysteries of The World: Profiling mysteries and featuring reenactments of unsolved crimes, missing persons, conspiracy theories and unexplained paranormal phenomena. A mix of Unsolved Mysteries, History's Mysteries, Encounters With The Unexplained, Conspiracies, Conspiracy?, Unsolved History, Ancient Mysteries, and Final Witness. Hosted by . ********************************************** Cinnamon Girl: About the lives of four women at the crossroads of the late 1960s political, artistic, social and sexual rebellions. Written by Anthony Tambakis & Renee Zellweger. The Return of Daniel Shepherd: A family thrown into disarray when their son returns home after thirteen years missing. When his abductors turn up murdered, he is the prime suspect. That further shrouds the mystery surrounding this family: the boy’s father, a former FBI operative-turned-college criminology teacher; his mother, a stay-at-home-mom-turned-congresswoman; and his fraternal twin brother. Written by David Hubbard. The Viagra Diaries: Based on Barbara Rose Brooker's book of the same name about Claire who, after her husband has a mid-life crisis and leaves her, struggles with being single for the first time in three decades. Written by Darren Star. The Escape Artist: Siblings who help people disappear. Written by Rina Mimoun & Scott Foley. Stuck In Reverse: A father who has a near-death experience attempts to reconnect with his estranged children. Written by Scott King. Generation Ex: Explores second marriages and co-parenting. Written by Moe Jelline. Taxi 22: American adaptation of Taxi 0-22 about a politically incorrect taxi driver in NYC struggling to keep his life together. Written by Brett C. Leonard. Just Say No: A family dealing with co-dependence and addiction. Written by David Seltzer. Blanco County: Based on Ben Rehder's book series of the same name about a baseball player who becomes sheriff of his small Texas hometown. Written by Rob Thomas. Shadow Counsel: Ethan, a former JAG attorney now working as a criminal lawyer in NYC, is recruited by the FBI to crack an ongoing investigation. He serves as a shadow counsel – a secret lawyer who operates behind the scenes and completely off the record to circumvent existing roadblocks in classified cases. His life rapidly descends into chaos as he finds himself on the run, unsure of who his friends are or who he can trust. Written by Barry Schindel. Powers: Based on Brian Michael Bendis's comic book series of the same name that combines the genres of superhero fantasy, crime noir and the police procedural. It follows the lives of two homicide detectives assigned to investigate cases involving people with superhuman abilities, who are referred to colloquially as "powers". Written by Brian Michael Bendis & Charlie Huston.

TV Revivals *[[Quantum Leap]]; Written by [[Donald P. Bellisario]] & [[John C. Kelley]] *[[Picket Fences]]; Written by [[David E. Kelley]] & [[Christopher Ambrose]] *[[Homefront|Homefront (U.S. TV series)]] ; Written by [[Lynn Marie Latham]], [[Bernard Lechowick]] & [[Jeff Gottesfeld]] *[[Freaks and Geeks]]; Written by [[Judd Apatow]], [[J. Elvis Weinstein]] & [[Mike White|Mike White (filmmaker)]] *[[Traders|Traders (TV series)]]; Written by [[Hart Hanson]], [[David Shore]] & [[Peter Blake|Peter Blake (writer)]] *[[The Eleventh Hour|The Eleventh Hour (CTV series)]] ; Written by [[Semi Chellas]], [[Ilana Frank]] & [[Jonathan Igla]] *[[Touched By An Angel]]; Written by [[Luke Schelhaas]], [[Ken LaZebnik]] & [[Brian Bird]] *[[Falcon Crest]]; Written by [[Scott Hamner]], [[Christian McLaughlin]] & [[Valerie Ahern]]

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Britney Spears - Femme Fatale Dancer Casting 2011 | Brian Friedman Choreography 

Music: Criminal Intent | Artist: Robyn

Group 1: Ryan Ramirez, Shirlene Quigley, Noelle Marsh, Michelle Maniscalo aka Jersey, Alexandria Kaye | Group 2: Glenda Morales, Gina Starbuck, Katrina Norman, Nika Kljun, B Girl Shorty | Group 3: Jamie Ruiz, Erin Yvonne, Lauren Gottleib, Melissa Miles, Cindy Minowa | Group 4: Jana Thompkins, Ava Bernstein, Lauren Gottleib, Cindy Minowa | 

Group 5: Elise Melnick, Comfort Fedoke, Maria Wada  | Group 6: Kayla Radomski, Alexandria Kaye, Noelle Marsh  | Group 7: Brandon Bryant, Anthony Carr, Luke Broadlick, Sohey Sugihara  | 

Group 8: Anthony Garza, Gaya Abdur, Derrell Bullock, Brooklyn Jai | Group 9: Scott Myrick, Nick Lanzisera, Alex Bullon, Justin Divera | Group 10: Gilbert Saldivar, JP San Pedro, Jason Young, Lake Smits | 

Group 11: Lee Daniel, Gus Carr, Cameron Lee, Jeremy Barthel | Group 12: Bily Belll, Chaz Buzan, Judson Emery, Ben Susak | Group 13: Mark & Donald Romain

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"Future is bright", "Superb" - Many Spurs fans were "really impressed" by one man's performance

Tottenham Hotspur continued their preparations for the 2019-20 campaign with a 2-1 loss to Manchester United in the International Champions Cup on Thursday.

Lucas Moura levelled the scores in the second half after Anthony Martial had struck in the first period, but Angel Gomes came up with a late winner for the Red Devils.

It was another good workout for Spurs, though, and there was another start in the final third for 17-year-old Troy Parrott.

The striker, who has been tipped to support Harry Kane in the first team this season, played the opening 45 minutes against United and showed some nice touches.

The Tottenham fans were really pleased with what they saw from the teenager once again, with many taking to social media to lavish praise on him.

It could be a really big campaign for Parrott, particularly when considering that Mauricio Pochettino’s side are currently short of options in the final third.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be viewed below:

Aware this is only pre-season, but #thfc striker Troy Parrott looks totally at home at this level. #ICC2019

— Hotspur Related (@HotspurRelated) July 25, 2019

Been really impressed with him

— BongoJonesi (@JonesiBongo) July 25, 2019

Looks capable for back up imo. The quicker he gets used to this level the better, only 17 ?

— ?? (@N17yids1) July 25, 2019

Was surprised by how physical he was. Like mini Kane.

— Derrell Bradford (@Dyrnwyn) July 25, 2019

He looked comfortable for a 17 year old. Nice quick feet in the lead up to Ali’s missed chance

— Kevin Barry (@Kevin_Barry) July 25, 2019

He looks superb

— Snpart (@Snpart1Snpart) July 25, 2019

Future is bright ?

— Jonny Mac (@JonnyMacDonald) July 25, 2019

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Canelo Alvarez medically cleared to return in December

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By Hector Franco | Senior Writer and Editor

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Published: September 25, 2018

After an explosive middleweight clash with Gennady Golovkin earlier this month it was thought that Saul “Canelo” Alvarez would not be entering the squared circle more than once in the calendar year of 2018. At this point of his career with over 50 professional bouts under his belt at just 28 years of age, Alvarez fights at the most twice a year. Due to a suspension earlier this year for testing positive for the banned substance clenbuterol, Alvarez missed his opportunity to fight this past May.

Alvarez’s promoter Golden Boy Promotions has reserved two locations for the young Mexican superstar should he choose to return to the ring this upcoming December 15th. The middleweight champion has been medically cleared by his Doctor’s to return to the ring this year despite suffering a nasty cut above his left eye in his rematch with Golovkin. The two locations reserved by his promoter are at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and Madison Square Garden in New York.

The reservation of Madison Square Garden is interesting, as Alvarez will be opening his brand up to an entirely new market. Except for one trip down to Miami in December of 2008, Alvarez has never fought outside of Nevada, Texas, and California in the United States. Boxing Hall-of-Famer and current CEO of Golden Boy Promotions, Oscar De La Hoya, twice fought at Madison Square Garden in 1995 and 2000. De La Hoya was successful scoring two stoppage victories over the likes of Jesse James Leija and Derrell Coley.

Alvarez could be looking at much tougher competition should he return this December. Most fans and pundits believe that Alvarez will likely face Canada’s, David Lemieux. Lemieux is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and scored an impressive first-round knockout on the undercard of Alvarez’s rematch with Golovkin over Gary O'Sullivan. The Canadian is a former IBF middleweight champion and arguably the biggest puncher in the division. Some fans would like to see Alvarez face the winner of the upcoming Billy Joe Saunders-Demetrius Andrade bout for the WBO middleweight title. That fight will be taking place on October 20th and is unlikely that either fighter would be ready for a December clash with Alvarez.

Houston, Texas native Jermall Charlo would be a worthy adversary for Alvarez as he holds the interim WBC middleweight title and is undefeated at 28 years of age. With Alvarez’s contract with HBO ending after his rematch with Golovkin, it opens up the Mexican superstar to move along the political and promotional barriers in the sport.

Whatever one has to say about Alvarez whether positive or negative he is the biggest star in the sport with only heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua as his peer. It will be a positive for the sport to see Alvarez step in the ring one more time in 2018 no matter whom he decides to face.

(Featured Photo: Al Bello/Getty Images)

[ascstudiesclub-blog]

AY17/18 SUBCOMMITTEE RESULTS

Welcome AY17/18 Subcommittee Members!   Keep reading to find out whether you have been accepted!

Han Jia Ying Joan 1703148E

Lee Zhe Hao 1700361G

Gordon Lee 1703023J

Tan Jun Wei 1703283J

Anthony Goh 1705747B

Rayson Choo 1703225a

Goh Jun De Elton 1701381D

Byron Ong 1702634E

Shumitra Begha 1702133H

Muhd Lutfil Hadi Bin Mulyadi 1703011E

Justin Ang Jing Xuan 1704875B

Chew Yong Sheng 1704035C

Celine Yeo 1703001F

Sng Xue Er Cheryl 1701592F

Deon Seah Jun Yi 1702758B

Loh Kia Wee Lawrence 1703169A

Valerie Celestine Low Ling Ying 1702818D

Ernest Tay Hui Ming 1601765I

Goh Kang Hao 1602344B

Ang Xin Yee Pamela 1700035G

Lim Boon Heng 1600110i

Koh Jing 1700314F

Soh Guan Ying Richmond 1606670F

Aloysius Chua Jun Hao 1704888E

Yuenling 1703469E

Goo Wey Charmaine 1700215E

Lim Ee Kai 1602800C

Ow Jian Hui  1506477G

Koh Wei How 1703969D

Luqman Afiq Bin Juraimi 1702894E

Chan Hao Shang 1703252E

Cathy Teo 1704638D

Tammy Sim 1701195H

Loy Si Ting Esther 1704642F

Yoo Jia Ler 1705420F

Callista Kum Gan Qi 1705487E

Charlie Low Kay Kay 1705460B

Tan Heng Joo 1702997F

Venus Seow 1705165G

Niklaus Cheong Ze Xian 1702796B

Jasmine Wong 1704120C

Marc Liem Swie Liong 1601250B

Elijah Yeoh 1602488G

Lucas David Lee 1701573F

Yup Weiqin Rayna 1603498E

Mavis Tan Xin Ying 1604906F

Gabriel Francis Tan 1605694G

Michelle lee xue yi 1602415J

Tan-ya 1700767E

Jullian Chng 1704864F

Almaz chew 1704868G

Hazilla Binte Abdul Halim 1703271E

Nicole Chan Jie Yu 1702464G

Shuvapriya 1701965D

Derrel Tan Zhanhong 1704115C

Dev Kumari Thapa 1702121C

Luo weixian 1703689H

Koh Qiao Jun 1703291C

Melissa Goh Miao Hui 1702785E

Natasha 1700500J

Kee Ne Xuan 1700303I

Joelle Lim 1703336F

Raifanah Bte Rahmatulla 1703802G

Muhammad Hazim Bin Akbar Ali 1703768J

Wong Jia Yi Mavis 1705600C

Glenn Lim De Sheng 1703224D

Tay Jing Yu 1701836G

Yu Han 1706055i

Caitlin Danielle Lee 1702649C

Daphne Ng 1704111B

Xavier Ng Yeong Xian 1703558E

Ong Jing Long Shaun 1702839J

If your name is mentioned in the list, congratulations!

Welcome to Applied Science Studies Club, you are to attend the Leadership Training Camp we have in store for you.

Stay in touch with our Instagram & Tumblr to find out more!

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Heartbeat Opera Announces The 2021-2022 Season

August 10, 2021 

Maria A. Rodriguez

On Heartbeat Opera Announces The 2021-2022 Season

HEARTBEAT OPERA will return to the stage for its eighth season this year. Heartbeat’s 2021-22 season kicks off in September with a free outdoor screening of BREATHING FREE, their visual album that connects Beethoven’s Fidelio with the work of black composers and lyricists such as Harry T. Burleigh, Langston Hughes and Anthony Davis to manifest a dream of justice, fairness and free breathing. BREATHING FREE builds on Heartbeat’s work in 2018 with incarcerated singers and prison choirs, and continues its exploration of race and the American prison system. Then in December, MESSY MESSIAH, Heartbeat’s beloved annual drag extravaganza, returns after six years of Halloween shenanigans for a new Christmas special. Looking ahead to winter 2022, Heartbeat plans to make its very first tour, reviving its production of FIDELIO, which the New York Times’ Joshua Barone called “urgent, powerful and poignant”, for seven performances in four cities, kick off at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Heartbeat will later present its pilot production of projects NO EVIL, QUANDO, ossia Project “0”, which is co-produced with Long Beach Opera and reshapes the music of Verdi’s operas La Traviata and Don Carlo and Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice in 25 short minutes. footage. Heartbeat also continues to work on its very first commission, THE EXTINCTIONIST, an opera by Heartbeat musical co-director Daniel Schlosberg, librettist Amanda Quaid and Heartbeat co-founder and resident director Louisa Proske. The Extinctionist is fighting climate catastrophe and one woman’s unorthodox choice, with the aim of presenting its world premiere in the winter of 2023.

At the helm are Artistic Director Ethan Heard, Associate Artistic Director Derrell Acon, Musical Co-Directors Jacob Ashworth and Daniel Schlosberg, and General Manager Annie Middleton. Heartbeat Opera was founded in 2014 and has since grown from an independent “start-up” to an internationally renowned player, always hailed as a leader in visioning the future of opera.

The 2021-22 season

BREATHING FREE, a visual album

September 18 at Pier 63, Hudson River Park Trust At dusk A free outdoor screening with live performances (Next additional screenings to be determined)

Focus on empowering black people in the arts With excerpts from Beethoven’s Fidelio, Negro Spirituals and songs by Harry T. Burleigh, Florence Price, Langston Hughes, Anthony Davis, Thulani Davis

Director: Ethan Heard Director: Anaiis Cisco Creative producer: Ras Dia Musical co-directors: Jacob Ashworth & Daniel Schlosberg Director of the movement: Emma Jaster

Watch the trailer without breathing

Nominated for the 2021 Drama League Award for Outstanding Digital Concert Production

In 2018, Heartbeat collaborated with 100 singers incarcerated in six prison choirs to create a contemporary American Fidelio told through the lens of Black Lives Matter. In 2020 – the year of George Floyd’s murder, a pandemic ravaging our prison population, and the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth – they organized a cycle of songs, animated by live music videos, mingling excerpts from Fidelio with Negro Spirituals and songs from Black Composers and Lyricists, which together manifest a dream of justice, fairness … and free breathing.

Jamilyn Manning-White in DRAGUS MAXIMUS, photo by Andrew Boyle

MESSIAH DISORDER

December 16 at 8 p.m. and December 17 at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. roulette in Brooklyn

Directed by Ethan Heard Music conducted by Jacob Ashworth Arranged by Daniel Schlosberg

Watch WNET’s ALL ARTS feature on Heartbeat’s Drag Extravagances

Heartbeat’s beloved annual drag opera extravaganza returns in all its glory this December. Over the past seven years, Heartbeat has presented six fabulous extravagances in Brooklyn venues: Hot Mama: Singing Gays Saving Gaia; Dragus Maximus: a homosexual opera odyssey; Everyone is a drag! Shakespeare in love … with opera; Queens of the Night: Mozart in Space; Miss Handel; and Purcell’s Fairy Queen. These interdisciplinary celebrations playfully blend opera classics with pop culture and drag to create an otherworldly experience that encourages audience members to embrace opera in a new way.

This year the show moves to December, just in time for Christmas. With familiar tunes from Handel, Tchaikovsky, Berlin and many more, this naughty show celebrates the holidays with wit and warmth. Expect tradition … with a touch of peppermint.

Kelly Griffin in FIDELIO, photo by Russ Rowland

FIDELIO

Heartbeat’s First Tour

February 10, 12 and 14, 2022 at the Met Live Arts, New York City February 19 at the Mondavi Center, UC Davis, California February 22 at the Scottsdale Performing Arts Center, Arizona February 26 and 27 at the Broad Stage, Santa Monica, California

Music by Ludwig van Beethoven Original libretto by Joseph Sonnleithner & Georg Friedrich Sonnleithner Adapted and directed by Ethan Heard Arrangements and music conducted by Daniel Schlosberg New dialogue in English co-written by Marcus Scott and Ethan Heard With Derrell Acon (Roc), Curtis Bannister (Stan), Kelly Griffin (Leah), Victoria Lawal (Marcy), Tim Mix (Pizarro) and more than 100 singers imprisoned in six prison choirs

Heartbeat planned to run its Fidelio in 2020, on the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth. Then the pandemic struck, particularly affecting the incarcerated and forcing them to postpone the tour. Then George Floyd was assassinated, triggering a much needed racial calculation. Now, with humility and a renewed sense of purpose, Heartbeat has the opportunity to bring the tour back and even expand it. The story of their Fidelio is more urgent and current than ever:

A black activist is wrongly imprisoned. His wife, Leah, disguises herself to infiltrate the system and free it. But when injustice reigns, a woman’s courage may not be enough to save her love. Featuring the voices of imprisoned people, this daring adaptation pits corruption against courage, hatred against hope.

Heartbeat is excited to continue their work on this Fidelio, updating the booklet for our current moment, deepening the company’s commitment to anti-racism in everything it does, collaborating more with its prison choir partners, sharing the production and sparking important conversations. This tour is Heartbeat’s biggest and most ambitious endeavor to date. They have the opportunity to reach thousands of new audience members, including hundreds of young people, in four cities across the country.

QUANDO, ossia Project “0”

In-person screenings with live performances in New York and Long Beach, April 2022 A co-production with Long Beach Opera The pilot production of NO EVIL Projects

Creative produced by Derrell Acon Music conducted and arranged by Daniel Schlosberg In-person screenings with live performances in New York and Long Beach in April 2022 (date to be confirmed)

Some of the most beautiful and famous music in the opera canon becomes the landscape for this fierce social satire of sex, activism, and everyday performance. Music from Gluck’s Verdi La Traviata and Don Carlo and Orfeo ed Euridice operas is repurposed and transformed into a 25-minute short film that follows a young couple with starry eyes as their night on the town unfolds in a surreal whirlwind of decadence , intrigue and ultimately, a vengeful justice.

The short, a co-production with Long Beach Opera and produced by Heartbeat’s new Associate Artistic Director, Derrell Acon, will be screened as is, followed by a second screening featuring live songwriters disrupting and actively re-enacting the music. of the score for a unique theatrical experience. No two performances will be the same, as the ending will change with each iteration of the live performances, and audiences will be challenged to reexamine their perception of art and its role in transforming society.

NO EVIL is an initiative to create a self-replenishing seed fund for new opera projects by the creators of BIPOC (black, indigenous and other people of color). Acon is in conversation with OPERA America, the Sphinx Foundation, and other industry colleagues about the full structure of NO EVIL Projects, which is slated to launch in 2022.

Acon states, “As the Equity in the Arts Specialist for the OPERA America New Works Forum, I have had the opportunity to facilitate the adjudication committees of all BIPOCs for the award, and have was deeply impressed by the nuance of perspective and intentionality centered in these discussions. I am convinced that the financial barriers faced by marginalized creators in the field require even more attention and action – and, frankly, MONEY! “

THE EXTINCTIONIST

A new opera in one act

Music by Daniel Schlosberg Libretto by Amanda Quaid, after her play Directed, designed and developed by Louisa Proske Music conducted by Jacob Ashworth

World premiere production coming in winter 2023

In the 2020-21 season, Heartbeat Opera commissioned its very first opera, The Extinctionist, a one-act work that deals with the catastrophic effects of climate change and a woman’s unorthodox choice to sterilize to save the planet. and become the very first “Fire extinguisher.” Dark comedy turns a woman’s body into a battleground of our political anxieties, our conflicting desires, and our individual responsibility.

Last May, The Exctintionist was featured in The New York Times, which chronicled Heartbeat’s long-standing commitment to reinventing classic works and its further expansion in commissioning. A semi-staged production of the opera premiered in May 2021 at PS21 in Chatham, New York, and the world premiere is slated for winter 2023.

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[junker-town]

The new East Carolina football gets a 2nd chance to make a 1st impression

The Pirates’ sudden revamp didn’t go quite as poorly as it looked.

This preview originally published April 20 and has since been updated.

By most accounts, Tim Brewster is a pretty good guy. He’s charismatic, and he’s doing an obviously nice job as an assistant at Florida State. I feel bad for making him the equivalent of a worst-case scenario.

But when you spend years talking about Glen Mason Territory — the situation in which a coach has established a decent level of success at a school and is doing too well to be obviously fired but hasn’t raised the bar in a while — you also infer that if a team fires its own Glen Mason, it could end up with its own Brewster and set the program back a ways.

East Carolina, watching the rest of the AAC hire young, exciting coaches and build momentum because of it, fired its Glen Mason after the 2015 season. Ruffin McNeill won 26 games from 2012-14 and needed four one-possession losses to finish an unlucky 5-7 in 2015. It was only the second time in 10 years that the Pirates had missed the postseason, but ECU fired McNeill all the same and brought in 37-year old Duke assistant Scottie Montgomery. And went 3-9.

East Carolina stayed about the same on offense but plummeted defensively on its way from 73rd in S&P+ to 100th. It was the first time in the S&P+ era (2005-present) that the Pirates ranked in triple digits.

And after an early upset of NC State and a near-upset of South Carolina, their last eight losses were all by at least 12 points; the last four were all by at least 21. ECU was straight awful at the end of 2016.

So, Brewsterfication in full effect then, huh? In the attempt to keep up with the Joneses, ECU just set its program back a decade, right? Possibly. But possibly not. McNeill probably wouldn’t have done much better with the level of injury and attrition that Montgomery dealt with in 2016.

Quarterback Philip Nelson dealt with minor injuries most of the season and missed the final two games with shoulder issues.

Two key receivers (Trevon Brown and Davon Grayson, who combined for 74 catches in 2015) missed the entire season.

Only one of the top eight defensive linemen played in all 12 games.

Only two of the top seven linebackers played in all 12 games.

Only four of the top nine defensive backs played in all 12 games.

Seven different offensive linemen started at least two games.

Hell, the damn kickoffs guy missed four games.

This would at least partially explain why ECU was so awful at the end of the year, right?

In theory, 2017 gives Montgomery a second chance to make a first impression. And he’s bringing some backup. A couple of SEC transfers are eligible, Duke quarterback transfer Thomas Sirk just came aboard, Brown and Grayson are back, and Montgomery signed a few JUCOs this winter for good measure. He also asked defensive coordinator Kenwick Thompson to change up his scheme a bit.

Emergency depth measures can pay off. Changes in tactics can make all the difference. The reaction to the McNeill firing was generally negative and led many outside of Greenville to assume the worst about the move. I wasn’t without suspicion myself.

There's a process here. Most of the time, I think of firing/not firing in this regard. You get fired when you have earned it. You start out with a mulligan year, and if you sustain success (like, say, winning 26 games in three years), maybe you earn a second. McNeill spent one in 2015, and if his Pirates didn't rebound as expected in 2016, maybe he'd end up in some trouble at the end of the year.

When somebody brings as much class as McNeill, I like to think that earns him a longer hook. McNeill was going to keep ECU bowling in most years. But if you see Glen Mason Territory coming, and you see other members of your conference getting their acts together very quickly, is there a point to waiting around?

Montgomery brought in a staff of mostly hungry assistants and now tries to prove his athletic director right.

2016 confirmed the suspicions, but it may not have confirmed that Montgomery won’t eventually work out. It does make the coming season awfully important, though.

2016 in review

2016 ECU statistical profile.

ECU’s 2016 season was a slow-motion collapse: three games of progress, five games of faltering, four games of abject awfulness.

First 3 games (2-1): Avg. percentile performance: 59% (~top 50) | Avg. yards per play: ECU 6.9, Opp 6.3 (plus-0.6)

Next 5 games (1-4): Avg. percentile performance: 37% (~top 80) | Avg. yards per play: Opp 6.2, ECU 5.4 (minus-0.8)

Last 4 games (0-4): Avg. percentile performance: 19% (~top 105) | Avg. yards per play: Opp 6.8, ECU 5.6 (minus-1.2)

The offense faltered first, then the defense, never particularly strong, crumpled late. By the end of the season, ECU had a below-average offense and wretched defense and lost to its last four AAC opponents by an average score of 51-24.

Quarterback Gardner Minshew took over for Nelson and played relatively well, and receiver Zay Jones went from high-volume possession guy (first eight games: 114 catches for just 1,094 yards) to dangerous downfield threat (next three games: 37 catches for 591 yards).

Jones is gone, and Minshew now has to hold off Sirk for the starting job. Still, the offense should at least be decent. It’s the defense that bears the burden of proof.

Offense

Full advanced stats glossary.

Montgomery knew what he was getting when he brought Tony Petersen to town to run his offense. As fate and irony would have it, Petersen was Glen Mason’s offensive co-coordinator when he was dismissed at Minnesota, then reinvented himself with stints at Marshall and Louisiana Tech. His Tech offense was devastating — pass-happy (as he likes it), vertical, and made even more dangerous with a mobile quarterback.

Petersen’s offense showed promise early in 2016 but screwed up the little details. The Pirates averaged 5.7 yards per play against South Carolina but managed to blow four scoring chances inside the SC 10 with three turnovers and a missed field goal. They averaged 6.4 yards per play against Virginia Tech but suffered a drastic field position disadvantage because of special teams and blew three more scoring opportunities.

For the season, ECU had the fourth-worst field position margin in the country and ranked 90th in points per scoring opportunity (first downs inside the opponent’s 40). That negated ECU’s strengths, which were mostly based around line stats — the PIrates ranked 27th in opportunity rate (carries gaining at least five yards), 34th in Adj. Line Yards, and 22nd in Adj. Sack Rate.

Of the seven linemen who started games last year, four are back, including two-year starting tackle Brandon Smith. This is a big group — the four main returnees average 6’6, 317 pounds, and four other potential members of the two-deep weigh at least 310 — and if Sirk is completely recovered from the Achilles injury (a huge “if”; Achilles injuries are rough), he would offer a mobile threat that Minshew does not. That threat could make ECU’s run game more dangerous.

Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

Thomas Sirk

James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports

Gardner Minshew

At least, it will be more dangerous if the Pirates have a running back. James Summers is gone, and he was a decent amount more effective than either of his backups, Anthony Scott or Devin Anderson. Scott was involved pretty heavily in the passing game, but if four-star Tennessee transfer Derrell Scott or sophomore and former star recruit Hussein Howe were to break through, that would probably not be a bad thing. [Update: Former four-star and Clemson backup Tyshon Dye has also joined as a grad transfer.]

Of course, why are we even talking about the run game? ECU is a passing team. The Pirates threw the ball 54 percent of the time on standard downs and 78 percent on passing downs, both among the 10th most frequent rates in the country.

Minshew’s 2016 passing stats and Sirk’s 2015 stats are nearly identical — both completed 59 percent of their passes with about a 2 percent interception rate. Sirk took fewer sacks, but Minshew averaged a bit more per completion (with help from Zay Jones, who’s not around anymore). Maybe Sirk’s mobility, if it still exists at the same level, gives him an edge, but either quarterback will be throwing to a pretty experienced receiving corps.

Jones’ departure hurts simply because he was so frequently targeted — he occupied more than 40 percent of ECU’s targets by himself (a rarity). But Trevon Brown replicated his per-target stats in 2015, Davon Grayson is a decent intermediate option, and Jimmy Williams is a legitimate deep threat. In an efficiency passing game, he averaged 18.2 yards per catch. Throw in three-star redshirt freshman Tahj Deans, JUCO tight end Eric Weber, and another potential star in mid-three-star sophomore Deondre Farrier (10.5 yards per target last year), and it appears the receiving corps is stocked enough to account for Jones’ loss.

Whether Sirk returns to his 2015 form or just serves as a Minshew insurance policy, I like this offense quite a bit. Petersen’s second Marshall offense improved by 3.9 adjusted points per game per Off. S&P+, and his second Louisiana Tech offense improved by 19.5. I lean more toward Marshall than Tech when thinking about this ECU attack, improvement is in the cards.

James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports

Deondre Farrier

Defense

One of the draws of a radar chart is that it pretty quickly tells you not only what a unit’s strengths were ... but whether the unit had any. If your radar is just a couple of scribbles, your unit was probably awful. Well...

ECU ranked reasonably well in completion rate and stuff rate and horribly in virtually every other category.

The Pirates wanted to be aggressive, attacking the line of scrimmage and attacking the ball when it was in the air. That sounds great, but opponents just ran the ball anyway, and when they weren’t getting stuffed, they were gaining big yards. And on the rare occasion when opponents threw the ball, ECU didn’t have the pass rush to do its secondary any favors and got burned deep. Despite opponents leaning pretty heavily on the run, ECU allowed 25 passes of 30-plus yards, 109th in FBS.

Translation: inefficiency and a propensity for allowing big plays are a pretty bad combination.

It’s hard to be successfully aggressive, though, when you’re changing pieces in the lineup every game. Nine linemen, seven linebackers, and 10 defensive backs made at least 5.5 tackles last year. Of those 26 players, eight played in all 12 games. That’s disastrous. Power to Kenwick Thompson for still trying to figure out how to be aggressive, but it was never going to work.

You could use attrition as a reason not to make any major changes, but while Montgomery kept Thompson, Thompson’s moving to more of a 4-2-5 arrangement. That certainly minimizes one problem — the loss of a lot of linebackers — but puts more pressure on the members of the secondary that got burned so many times last year. Plus, the nickel look rarely does favors to one’s pass rush, and that was already a massive problem: the leading returning pass rushers are linebacker Jordan Williams and cornerback Colby Gore. They had one each.

Montgomery signed four JUCO defenders and added former Auburn cornerback Tim Irvin [update: plus nine-game Minnesota DL starter Gaelin Elmore and 2014 Clemson starting nickelback Korrin Wiggins as grad transfers]; it’s possible that as many as four of these five newcomers starts. Williams and end Yiannis Bowden are keepers, but after that, no one is good enough to guarantee a starting job.

James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports

Yiannis Bowden

Experience and health will help. Nineteen of last year’s 26 regulars are back, and just keeping the same 11 guys on the field from week to week would be a refreshing change. And between buzz and recruiting rankings, you figure the newcomers upgrade the talent level.

End Tyree Owens, assuming he ends up eligible, was a mid-three-star JUCO signee with SEC offers, while end Brandon Henderson, linebacker Cannon Gibbs, and defensive back Marcus Holton Jr. were all three-star JUCOs as well. Redshirt freshmen like tackle Raequan Purvis, end Chance Purvis, linebacker Aaron Ramseur, and defensive back Keyshawn Canady are all potential playmakers as well.

I’m not sure the talent matches the scheme just yet, and I figure the pass rush is still going to be a liability, but just comparing this year’s season-opening two-deep to the one that finished last season, I’m thinking the former is going to be quite a bit more talented. That alone should result in at least minor improvement.

Photo by Michael Chang/Getty Images

Tim Irvin

Special Teams

ECU ranked 109th in punt success rate, 109th on kickoffs, 116th on kick returns and dead last on punt returns last year. 10 Pirate punt returns generated a total of 18 yards. And a fumble. Is there any wonder why ECU was so completely awful in the field position battle?

Because of the weight place-kicking carries in the formula, it’s hard to have a decent kicker and still rank in the triple digits in Special Teams S&P+, but ECU figured out a way. And now that decent kicker — Davis Plowman, who was a smidge inaccurate on shorter kicks but went 8-for-11 on FGs more than 40 yards — is gone. Yikes.

Kickoffs guy Caleb Pratt is back; he was far more effective than Plowman, who replaced him in that arena when he was hurt. But returns are still somewhere between unknown and awful, and now ECU needs new punting and place-kicking legs. Yikes again.

2017 outlook

2017 Schedule & Projection Factors

Date Opponent Proj. S&P+ Rk Proj. Margin Win Probability 2-Sep James Madison NR 7.8 67% 9-Sep at West Virginia 69 -12.4 24% 16-Sep Virginia Tech 25 -17.8 15% 30-Sep South Florida 56 -10.2 28% 7-Oct Temple 67 -8.5 31% 14-Oct at Central Florida 78 -9.2 30% 21-Oct BYU 46 -11.6 25% 28-Oct at Houston 49 -16.1 18% 4-Nov at Connecticut 125 4.7 61% 11-Nov Tulane 94 1.3 53% 18-Nov Cincinnati 75 -4.5 40% 25-Nov at Memphis 61 -14.8 20%

Projected S&P+ Rk 100 Proj. Off. / Def. Rk 86 / 104 Projected wins 4.1 Five-Year S&P+ Rk -1.7 (78) 2- and 5-Year Recruiting Rk 76 / 78 2016 TO Margin / Adj. TO Margin* -16 / -10.1 2016 TO Luck/Game -2.4 Returning Production (Off. / Def.) 49% (37%, 61%) 2016 Second-order wins (difference) 3.6 (-0.6)

In McNeill’s six years in charge, ECU ranked between second and seventh in its conference in S&P+ every year; the Pirates were second in Conference USA in 2013 and third in 2014 before slipping to seventh in his last season. Then, in his absence, they fell to 10th.

That’s not a good look, and on the surface, it fulfills the giant first step of Brewsterfication. But with the injuries the Pirates suffered, there was no hope of any coach coming in and succeeding. This will be Montgomery’s first year in which he actually has a chance to make a mark, and may well do so.

Still, there’s quite a bit of catching up to do. ECU must improve by 25 spots in S&P+ just to reach where last year’s seventh-ranked AAC team (UCF) resided, and the Pirates will be heavily reliant on transfers to provide a boost. Their S&P+ projection, which doesn’t take transfers into account, places them 100th, same as last year. There’s reason to believe the offense could drastically exceed its No. 84 projections, but the defense still has a large volume of concerns.

For both narrative and Scottie Montgomery’s job security, this is a huge year in Greenville.

Team preview stats

All preview data to date.

[l2unaway]

Kwentonza Morris by Derrel Anthony on VSCO http://vsco.co/derrelab/media/55db6f9c24331e040e8b4575

[auradynamo]

#Derrel Anthony #Derrel Anthony Photography #Aura Dynamo

[writemarcus]

Heartbeat Opera Announces 2021-22 Season

By Francisco Salazar

AUG 12, 2021

New York’s Heartbeat Opera has announced its 2021-22 season

The season opens with “BREATHING FREE, a visual album,” a free outdoor screening at dusk with live performances focusing on Black empowerment in the arts. The work will feature excerpts from Beethoven’s “Fidelio,” Negro Spirituals, and songs by Harry T. Burleigh, Florence Price, Langston Hughes, Anthony Davis, Thulani Davis. The work is directed by Ethan Heard and filmmaker Anaiis Cisco.

Performance Date: Sept. 18 at Pier 63, Hudson River Park Trust

Ethan Heard directs “Messy Messiah” with music directed by Jacob Ashworth and arranged by Daniel Schlosberg. The performance will see the return of Heartbeat’s beloved annual drag opera extravaganza with familiar tunes by Handel, Tchaikovsky, Berlin, and many more.

Performance Dates: Dec. 16 & 17 at Roulette in Brooklyn

Beethoven’s “Fidelio” will be adopted and directed by Ethan heard and arranged & Music Directed by Daniel Schlosberg. The New English Dialogue will be Co-Written by Marcus Scott and Ethan Heard and will star Derrell Acon (Roc), Curtis Bannister (Stan), Kelly Griffin (Leah), Victoria Lawal (Marcy), Tim Mix (Pizarro), and more than 100 incarcerated singers in six prison choirs.

Performance Dates: Feb. 10-27, 2022 in NY, California, and Arizona

The production of the season will be “QUANDO, ossia Project ‘0‘” which will include in-person screenings with live performances in New York and Long Beach. The pilot of NO EVIL Projects will feature music from Gluck’s “Orfeo ed Euridice” and Verdi’s “La Traviata” and “Don Carlo.” The music will be directed and arranged by Daniel Schlosberg.

Performance Dates: April 2022

Heartbeat’s first commission “The Extinctionist,” will be performed in 2023 and will be a one-act opera. The opera was written by composer Daniel Schlosberg with a libretto by Amanda Quaid, based on her play. It will be directed, conceived, and developed by Louisa Proske and music directed by Jacob Ashworth.

[junker-town]

The new East Carolina football gets a 2nd chance to make a 1st impression

The Pirates’ sudden revamp didn’t go quite as poorly as it looked.

By most accounts, Tim Brewster is a pretty good guy. He’s charismatic, and he’s doing an obviously nice job as an assistant at Florida State. I feel bad for making him the equivalent of a worst-case scenario.

But when you spend years talking about Glen Mason Territory — the situation in which a coach has established a decent level of success at a school and is doing too well to be obviously fired but hasn’t raised the bar in a while — you also infer that if a team fires its own Glen Mason, it could end up with its own Brewster and set the program back a ways.

East Carolina, watching the rest of the AAC hire young, exciting coaches and build momentum because of it, fired its Glen Mason after the 2015 season. Ruffin McNeill won 26 games from 2012-14 and needed four one-possession losses to finish an unlucky 5-7 in 2015. It was only the second time in 10 years that the Pirates had missed the postseason, but ECU fired McNeill all the same and brought in 37-year old Duke assistant Scottie Montgomery. And went 3-9.

East Carolina stayed about the same on offense but plummeted defensively on its way from 73rd in S&P+ to 100th. It was the first time in the S&P+ era (2005-present) that the Pirates ranked in triple digits.

And after an early upset of NC State and a near-upset of South Carolina, their last eight losses were all by at least 12 points; the last four were all by at least 21. ECU was straight awful at the end of 2016.

So, Brewsterfication in full effect then, huh? In the attempt to keep up with the Joneses, ECU just set its program back a decade, right? Possibly. But possibly not. McNeill probably wouldn’t have done much better with the level of injury and attrition that Montgomery dealt with in 2016.

Quarterback Philip Nelson dealt with minor injuries most of the season and missed the final two games with shoulder issues.

Two key receivers (Trevon Brown and Davon Brayson, who combined for 74 catches in 2015) missed the entire season.

Only one of the top eight defensive linemen played in all 12 games.

Only two of the top seven linebackers played in all 12 games.

Only four of the top nine defensive backs played in all 12 games.

Seven different offensive linemen started at least two games.

Hell, the damn kickoffs guy missed four games.

This would at least partially explain why ECU was so awful at the end of the year, right?

In theory, 2017 gives Montgomery a second chance to make a first impression. And he’s bringing some backup. A couple of SEC transfers are eligible, Duke quarterback transfer Thomas Sirk just came aboard, Brown and Brayson are back, and Montgomery signed a few JUCOs this winter for good measure. He also asked defensive coordinator Kenwick Thompson to change up his scheme a bit.

Emergency depth measures can pay off. Changes in tactics can make all the difference. The reaction to the McNeill firing was generally negative and led many outside of Greenville to assume the worst about the move. I wasn’t without suspicion myself.

There's a process here. Most of the time, I think of firing/not firing in this regard. You get fired when you have earned it. You start out with a mulligan year, and if you sustain success (like, say, winning 26 games in three years), maybe you earn a second. McNeill spent one in 2015, and if his Pirates didn't rebound as expected in 2016, maybe he'd end up in some trouble at the end of the year.

When somebody brings as much class as McNeill, I like to think that earns him a longer hook. McNeill was going to keep ECU bowling in most years. But if you see Glen Mason Territory coming, and you see other members of your conference getting their acts together very quickly, is there a point to waiting around?

Montgomery brought in a staff of mostly hungry assistants and now tries to prove his athletic director right.

2016 confirmed the suspicions, but it may not have confirmed that Montgomery won’t eventually work out. It does make the coming season awfully important, though.

2016 in review

2016 ECU statistical profile.

ECU’s 2016 season was a slow-motion collapse: three games of progress, five games of faltering, four games of abject awfulness.

First 3 games (2-1): Avg. percentile performance: 59% (~top 50) | Avg. yards per play: ECU 6.9, Opp 6.3 (plus-0.6)

Next 5 games (1-4): Avg. percentile performance: 37% (~top 80) | Avg. yards per play: Opp 6.2, ECU 5.4 (minus-0.8)

Last 4 games (0-4): Avg. percentile performance: 19% (~top 105) | Avg. yards per play: Opp 6.8, ECU 5.6 (minus-1.2)

The offense faltered first, then the defense, never particularly strong, crumpled late. By the end of the season, ECU had a below-average offense and wretched defense and lost to its last four AAC opponents by an average score of 51-24.

Quarterback Gardner Minshew took over for Nelson and played relatively well, and receiver Zay Jones went from high-volume possession guy (first eight games: 114 catches for just 1,094 yards) to dangerous downfield threat (next three games: 37 catches for 591 yards).

Jones is gone, and Minshew now has to hold off Sirk for the starting job. Still, the offense should at least be decent. It’s the defense that bears the burden of proof.

Offense

Full advanced stats glossary.

Montgomery knew what he was getting when he brought Tony Petersen to town to run his offense. As fate and irony would have it, Petersen was Glen Mason’s offensive co-coordinator when he was dismissed at Minnesota, then reinvented himself with stints at Marshall and Louisiana Tech. His Tech offense was devastating — pass-happy (as he likes it), vertical, and made even more dangerous with a mobile quarterback.

Petersen’s offense showed promise early in 2016 but screwed up the little details. The Pirates averaged 5.7 yards per play against South Carolina but managed to blow four scoring chances inside the SC 10 with three turnovers and a missed field goal. They averaged 6.4 yards per play against Virginia Tech but suffered a drastic field position disadvantage because of special teams and blew three more scoring opportunities.

For the season, ECU had the fourth-worst field position margin in the country and ranked 90th in points per scoring opportunity (first downs inside the opponent’s 40). That negated ECU’s strengths, which were mostly based around line stats — the PIrates ranked 27th in opportunity rate (carries gaining at least five yards), 34th in Adj. Line Yards, and 22nd in Adj. Sack Rate.

Of the seven linemen who started games last year, four are back, including two-year starting tackle Brandon Smith. This is a big group — the four main returnees average 6’6, 317 pounds, and four other potential members of the two-deep weigh at least 310 — and if Sirk is completely recovered from the Achilles injury (a huge “if”; Achilles injuries are rough), he would offer a mobile threat that Minshew does not. That threat could make ECU’s run game more dangerous.

Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

Thomas Sirk

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Gardner Minshew

At least, it will be more dangerous if the Pirates have a running back. James Summers is gone, and he was a decent amount more effective than either of his backups, Anthony Scott or Devin Anderson. Scott was involved pretty heavily in the passing game, but if four-star Tennessee transfer Derrell Scott or sophomore and former star recruit Hussein Howe were to break through, that would probably not be a bad thing.

Of course, why are we even talking about the run game? ECU is a passing team. The Pirates threw the ball 54 percent of the time on standard downs and 78 percent on passing downs, both among the 10th most frequent rates in the country.

Minshew’s 2016 passing stats and Sirk’s 2015 stats are nearly identical — both completed 59 percent of their passes with about a 2 percent interception rate. Sirk took fewer sacks, but Minshew averaged a bit more per completion (with help from Zay Jones, who’s not around anymore). Maybe Sirk’s mobility, if it still exists at the same level, gives him an edge, but either quarterback will be throwing to a pretty experienced receiving corps.

Jones’ departure hurts simply because he was so frequently targeted — he occupied more than 40 percent of ECU’s targets by himself (a rarity). But Trevon Brown replicated his per-target stats in 2015, Davon Grayson is a decent intermediate option, and Jimmy Williams is a legitimate deep threat. In an efficiency passing game, he averaged 18.2 yards per catch. Throw in three-star redshirt freshman Tahj Deans, JUCO tight end Eric Weber, and another potential star in mid-three-star sophomore Deondre Farrier (10.5 yards per target last year), and it appears the receiving corps is stocked enough to account for Jones’ loss.

Whether Sirk returns to his 2015 form or just serves as a Minshew insurance policy, I like this offense quite a bit. Petersen’s second Marshall offense improved by 3.9 adjusted points per game per Off. S&P+, and his second Louisiana Tech offense improved by 19.5. I lean more toward Marshall than Tech when thinking about this ECU attack, improvement is in the cards.

James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports

Deondre Farrier

Defense

One of the draws of a radar chart is that it pretty quickly tells you not only what a unit’s strengths were ... but whether the unit had any. If your radar is just a couple of scribbles, your unit was probably awful. Well...

ECU ranked reasonably well in completion rate and stuff rate and horribly in virtually every other category.

The Pirates wanted to be aggressive, attacking the line of scrimmage and attacking the ball when it was in the air. That sounds great, but opponents just ran the ball anyway, and when they weren’t getting stuffed, they were gaining big yards. And on the rare occasion when opponents threw the ball, ECU didn’t have the pass rush to do its secondary any favors and got burned deep. Despite opponents leaning pretty heavily on the run, ECU allowed 25 passes of 30-plus yards, 109th in FBS.

Translation: inefficiency and a propensity for allowing big plays are a pretty bad combination.

It’s hard to be successfully aggressive, though, when you’re changing pieces in the lineup every game. Nine linemen, seven linebackers, and 10 defensive backs made at least 5.5 tackles last year. Of those 26 players, eight played in all 12 games. That’s disastrous. Power to Kenwick Thompson for still trying to figure out how to be aggressive, but it was never going to work.

You could use attrition as a reason not to make any major changes, but while Montgomery kept Thompson, Thompson’s moving to more of a 4-2-5 arrangement. That certainly minimizes one problem — the loss of a lot of linebackers — but puts more pressure on the members of the secondary that got burned so many times last year. Plus, the nickel look rarely does favors to one’s pass rush, and that was already a massive problem: the leading returning pass rushers are linebacker Jordan Williams and cornerback Colby Gore. They had one each.

Montgomery signed four JUCO defenders and added former Auburn cornerback Tim Irvin; it’s possible that as many as four of these five newcomers starts. Williams and end Yiannis Bowden are keepers, but after that, no one is good enough to guarantee a starting job.

James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports

Yiannis Bowden

Experience and health will help. Nineteen of last year’s 26 regulars are back, and just keeping the same 11 guys on the field from week to week would be a refreshing change. And between buzz and recruiting rankings, you figure the newcomers upgrade the talent level.

End Tyree Owens, assuming he ends up eligible, was a mid-three-star JUCO signee with SEC offers, while end Brandon Henderson, linebacker Cannon Gibbs, and defensive back Marcus Holton Jr. were all three-star JUCOs as well. Redshirt freshmen like tackle Raequan Purvis, end Chance Purvis, linebacker Aaron Ramseur, and defensive back Keyshawn Canady are all potential playmakers as well.

I’m not sure the talent matches the scheme just yet, and I figure the pass rush is still going to be a liability, but just comparing this year’s season-opening two-deep to the one that finished last season, I’m thinking the former is going to be quite a bit more talented. That alone should result in at least minor improvement.

Photo by Michael Chang/Getty Images

Tim Irvin

Special Teams

ECU ranked 109th in punt success rate, 109th on kickoffs, 116th on kick returns and dead last on punt returns last year. 10 Pirate punt returns generated a total of 18 yards. And a fumble. Is there any wonder why ECU was so completely awful in the field position battle?

Because of the weight place-kicking carries in the formula, it’s hard to have a decent kicker and still rank in the triple digits in Special Teams S&P+, but ECU figured out a way. And now that decent kicker — Davis Plowman, who was a smidge inaccurate on shorter kicks but went 8-for-11 on FGs more than 40 yards — is gone. Yikes.

Kickoffs guy Caleb Pratt is back; he was far more effective than Plowman, who replaced him in that arena when he was hurt. But returns are still somewhere between unknown and awful, and now ECU needs new punting and place-kicking legs. Yikes again.

2017 outlook

2017 Schedule & Projection Factors

Date Opponent Proj. S&P+ Rk Proj. Margin Win Probability 2-Sep James Madison NR 7.8 67% 9-Sep at West Virginia 69 -12.4 24% 16-Sep Virginia Tech 25 -17.8 15% 30-Sep South Florida 56 -10.2 28% 7-Oct Temple 67 -8.5 31% 14-Oct at Central Florida 78 -9.2 30% 21-Oct BYU 46 -11.6 25% 28-Oct at Houston 49 -16.1 18% 4-Nov at Connecticut 125 4.7 61% 11-Nov Tulane 94 1.3 53% 18-Nov Cincinnati 75 -4.5 40% 25-Nov at Memphis 61 -14.8 20%

Projected S&P+ Rk 100 Proj. Off. / Def. Rk 86 / 104 Projected wins 4.1 Five-Year S&P+ Rk -1.7 (78) 2- and 5-Year Recruiting Rk 76 / 78 2016 TO Margin / Adj. TO Margin* -16 / -10.1 2016 TO Luck/Game -2.4 Returning Production (Off. / Def.) 49% (37%, 61%) 2016 Second-order wins (difference) 3.6 (-0.6)

In McNeill’s six years in charge, ECU ranked between second and seventh in its conference in S&P+ every year; the Pirates were second in Conference USA in 2013 and third in 2014 before slipping to seventh in his last season. Then, in his absence, they fell to 10th.

That’s not a good look, and on the surface, it fulfills the giant first step of Brewsterfication. But with the injuries the Pirates suffered, there was no hope of any coach coming in and succeeding. This will be Montgomery’s first year in which he actually has a chance to make a mark, and may well do so.

Still, there’s quite a bit of catching up to do. ECU must improve by 25 spots in S&P+ just to reach where last year’s seventh-ranked AAC team (UCF) resided, and the Pirates will be heavily reliant on transfers to provide a boost. Their S&P+ projection, which doesn’t take transfers into account, places them 100th, same as last year. There’s reason to believe the offense could drastically exceed its No. 84 projections, but the defense still has a large volume of concerns.

For both narrative and Scottie Montgomery’s job security, this is a huge year in Greenville.

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