In December, Variety reported on a possible rebrand for ABC Family, currently known for programming targeting millennials and younger demographics with shows like Pretty Little Liars and The Fosters.
Friday, ABC Family announced two new pilots that may point to a rebrand of sorts. The network adds a supernatural drama from the creator of Heroes and a half-hour comedy that comes from the head writer of The Office.
Beyond, the supernatural series, follows the story of a young man who wakes up from a 12-year coma to find that he has supernatural abilities. The one-hour drama comes from Tim Kring of Heroes fame. Beyond is the second new supernatural series to make it to air for ABC Family, after the network ordered Shadowhunters to series, a show based on The Mortal Instruments film franchise.
Gorgeous Morons is a half-hour multicam comedy is about two brothers - one is a model and one is a personal trainer. They are “stunningly handsome but ridiculously simple,” and their lives change when they get a smart (and female) new roommate. Gorgeous Morons is from The Office head writer Danny Chun as well as his Office colleages Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky.
The two newest pilots join a lineup that includes dramas Famous in Love, Stitchers and Recovery Road, as well as Tough Cookie, a comedy from the creator of MTV’s Awkward.
ABC Family’s programming shift is clear in these new shows, falling away from shows like Young & Hungry and Melissa & Joey in favor of more mature dramatic fare and proven hits like its ratings darling Pretty Little Liars.
“Quality comedies and epic adventures are key elements of our programming strategy,” Karey Burke, EVP of programming and development at ABC Family, said in a statement. “The teams behind these pilots have a history of creating amazing series in those genres, and I am thrilled to have them creating for ABC Family.”
Read more at The Hollywood Reporter.
Brief Take: The network’s new pilots point to a rumored rebrand, using programming to drive a network reboot that ages up its teen-heavy viewer base.
[Image courtesy of ABC Family]
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