Fox orders dramas Red Band Society and Runner, both could get series commitments

On Monday, Fox Entertainment chief Kevin Reilly announced the death of pilot season at his network and on Friday, he has already ordered two shows under this new system. Rather than just ordering pilots for dramas Red Band Society and Runner, the shows could both get series orders.

Red Band Society is a Amblin Television and ABC Studios co-production, based on the Spanish show Polseres Vermelles by Albert Espinosa. The show was first developed at ABC back in 2011, with Friends co-creator Marta Kauffman writing. However, Deadline notes that the new version is written by Boardwalk Empire’s Margaret Nagle with Steven Spielberg among the executive producers. It’s about a group of teens in a hospital who become friends.

Fox is giving the show a “series prototype” order, which is similar to pilot order, but also includes further scripts beyond one episode.

Runner is also based on a foreign show - the Turkish series Son. Michael Cooney (Identity) is writing and Peter Horton is directing. The Hollywood Reporter notes that it is a 20th Century Fox TV production. It centers on Lauren Marks, who gets involved in a Mexican/U.S. war with drugs and terrorism.

Fox gave Runner a commitment as a possible “off-cycle” show that could begin production as early as this summer.

These are the first two projects for Fox since Reilly’s declaration that his network will no longer follow the typical pilot season structure when it comes to developing new shows.

image of Kevin Reilly: Jill Greenberg/FOX

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