ABC has passed on two of its buzziest pilots, Get Christie Love and For Love.
This is per intel from The Hollywood Reporter‘s Lesley Goldberg.
While they were never considered frontrunners, trade publications reported both to be in contention for pickup.
Of the two, Get Christie Love (toplined by Pitch star Kylie Bunbury) seemed like a good chance. A reboot of the 1974 blaxploitation TV movie and short-lived series of the same name, its original star, the late Teresa Graves, was the first black woman to star in her own hour-long drama series. This would not happen again until Scandal with Kerry Washington, which wrapped last month after seven seasons. The nod here would have been great. The pilot was a passion project for Power showrunner Courtney Kemp, and Vin Diesel and Debra Martin Chase were executive producers. The series would have also starred Khandi Alexander.
For Love had a unique premise starring Lex Scott Davis as a headstrong journalist. “Suffering from a great tragedy, but not living with a heavy heart, she found love after losing her fiancé five years ago, and is ready to restart her life with another man. But she will soon discover that something strange stirs in New Orleans, when she receives a clue that will lead her to discovering that magic exists in the shadows of the city.”
Other pilots passed on at the network (given Shadow and Act’s stated interest) include: Staties (starring Annie Ilonzeh), Most Likely To (starring Yvette Nicole Brown, Donald Faison and Laya DeLeon Hayes), Steps (starring Ryan Michelle Bathe and Cameron Boyce), The Mission (starring Wood Harris) and the Regina King/Robin Roberts-produced The Finest, starring Amirah Vann and Tisha-Campbell Martin.
Three series pickups feature black talent: Eva Longoria’s Grand Hotel (Wendy Raquel Robinson and Chris Warren are series regulars), the Scott Foley and Lauren Cohan-toplined Whiskey Cavalier (Tyler James Williams is a series regular) and Single Parents (Kimrie Lewis is a series regular).