​Coming off the relative success of this spring’s Salem and last month’s Manhattan debuts, WGN America is looking to ramp up its commitment to scripted originals with two new dramas.

Titans is set in Appalachia and follows the Farrell family, “outsiders who’ve been in these parts since before anyone can remember. Living off the grid and above the law on their mountaintop homestead, they’ll protect their world and defend their way of life using any means necessary,” according to WGN America. Titans comes from playwright Peter Mattei, Rescue Me’s Peter Tolan and actor Paul Giamatti. The 13-episode season has been picked up for a full series order.

Another possible drama for next year, Underground, follows all sides along the Underground Railroad in the South before the Civil War: “the slaves who set foot on the fabled Underground Railroad, the secret network of men and women who risked their lives aiding them, and the mercenaries tasked with hunting them down at any cost.” Underground is from Sons of Anarchy’s Misha Green and A Beautiful Mind’s Akiva Goldsman.

“These projects, each exploring a world we find to be unique and fascinating, continue our aggressive expansion into original scripted programming,” said Matt Cherniss, president and GM of WGN America and Tribune Studios.

Both shows are from partners Sony Pictures Television and Tribune Studios and are planning for premiere dates in 2015 alongside the already-renewed Salem. Adding two new drama series would double WGN America’s scripted originals, helping the network enter into the competitive TV space that seems to grow every day.

Read more at The Hollywood Reporter.

Brief Take: Salem’s debut of 1.5 million viewers slightly outdid the ratings for July’s Manhattan premiere night of 900,000, but with more visibility as a network for original dramas, WGN America can hope for more viewers via next year’s rollouts.

[Image courtesy of WGN America]

Tags:


  Save as PDF