Skip to main content

Alphabet Soup: "The Unusuals" Creator Noah Hawley Signs Blind Script Deal at ABC Studios

While ABC may have canceled The Unusuals, series creator Noah Hawley has signed an blind deal with ABC Studios to write two new series projects for the studio, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

"For his encore Hawley is looking to employ some of the storytelling elements he used on Unusuals," writes Hollywood Reporter's Nellie Andreeva, "where stories with different characters often intersected in unexpected ways. Also, he plans to continue mixing comedy and drama."

With the cat out of the bag, Hawley himself addressed the ABC Studios announcement on his personal website, where he posted an explanation this morning as to why he would go into business with ABC Studios after the network canceled The Unusuals.

As for the hopes that The Unusuals might end up on a cable network, Hawley downplayed any chances that the series might continue elsewhere.

"While we haven't heard officially from all cable networks, I'd say the lack of a timely response means the chances of The Unusuals continuing on are slim," wrote Hawley. "So I've taken the next step toward getting a show back on the air next fall. I closed a deal with ABC Studios to develop two shows over the next few months. I'm excited to explore in greater depth some of the storytelling devices and tonal shifts I feel we perfected on The Unusuals."

"As to why stay in business with ABC after they cancelled the show," wrote Hawley, "I'd have to say my relationship with the network was always very positive, and despite the fact that they cancelled the show, they were great supporters of me and my vision for it. I do believe that partnering with ABC Studios to develop shows for the network will put me in a stronger position, and give whatever shows I develop from here on out a better shot at success."

"...So much of the TV game is decided at the corporate level," he continued. "By partnering with the ABC at both the studio and network level, I hope to remove some of the business/political obstacles that doomed The Unusuals."

Hawley went on to urge fans to continue to check his website and personal blog for more information about the projects he's developing at ABC Studios and thanked fans for their ongoing support.

Stay tuned.

Comments

Sue said…
I still wish Noah would try to shop The Unusuals around to a cable network. But, I guess that's not going to happen now.

And, of course, he's going to say positive things about ABC - he'd be stupid to say anything negative.
Annie said…
I'm really upset that Unusuals won't be continuing. I think a cable net like USA or TNT should have been lucky to get their hands on such a great show. Hope that NH can find the magic again with another show.
Bella Spruce said…
I'm excited to see what Hawley will do next but I am still very disappointed that The Unusuals won't be coming back. It was an interesting, original, and engaging show!
free said…
so sad :( "the unusuals" had some charm and a 70s movie show feeling :(
definately deserved a second chance.
Unknown said…
pom pom , pom pom pom . pom pom pom pam pauooow!
Unknown said…
The Unusuals was the BEST on television--Re-air it again as a new release and see if more viewers go for it. I've shown it to at least 10 people who are now fans!

Popular posts from this blog

What's Done is Done: The Eternal Struggle Between Good and Evil on the Season Finale of "Lost"

Every story begins with thread. It's up to the storyteller to determine just how much they need to parcel out, what pattern they're making, and when to cut it short and tie it off. With last night's penultimate season finale of Lost ("The Incident, Parts One and Two"), written by Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse, we began to see the pattern that Lindelof and Cuse have been designing towards the last five seasons of this serpentine series. And it was only fitting that the two-hour finale, which pushes us on the road to the final season of Lost , should begin with thread, a loom, and a tapestry. Would Jack follow through on his plan to detonate the island and therefore reset their lives aboard Oceanic Flight 815 ? Why did Locke want to kill Jacob? What caused The Incident? What was in the box and just what lies in the shadow of the statue? We got the answers to these in a two-hour season finale that didn't quite pack the same emotional wallop of previous season

Pilot Inspektor: CBS' "Smith"

I may just have to change my original "What I'll Be Watching This Fall" post, as I sat down and finally watched CBS' new crime drama Smith this weekend. (What? It's taken me a long time to make my way through the stack of pilot DVDs.) While it's on following Gilmore Girls and Veronica Mars on Tuesday nights (10 pm ET/PT, to be exact), I'm going to be sure to leave enough room on my TiVo to make sure that I catch this compelling, amoral drama. While one can't help but be impressed by what might just be the most marquee-friendly cast in primetime--Ray Liotta, Virginia Madsen, Jonny Lee Miller, Amy Smart, Simon Baker, and Franky G all star and Shohreh Aghdashloo has a recurring role--the pilot's premise alone earned major points in my book: it's a crime drama from the point of view of the criminals, who engage in high-stakes heists. But don't be alarmed; it's nothing like NBC's short-lived Heist . Instead, think of it as The Italian

The Daily Beast: "How The Killing Went Wrong"

While the uproar over the U.S. version of The Killing has quieted, the show is still a pale imitation of the Danish series on which it is based. Over at The Daily Beast, you can read my latest feature, "How The Killing Went Wrong," in which I look at how The Killing has handled itself during its second season, and compare it to the stunning and electrifying original Danish series, Forbrydelsen , on which it is based. (I recently watched all 20 episodes of Forbrydelsen over a few evenings.) The original is a mind-blowing and gut-wrenching work of genius. It’s not necessary to rehash the anger that followed in the wake of the conclusion last June of the first season of AMC’s mystery drama The Killing, based on Søren Sveistrup’s landmark Danish show Forbrydelsen, which follows the murder of a schoolgirl and its impact on the people whose lives the investigation touches upon. What followed were irate reviews, burnished with the “burning intensity of 10,000 white-hot suns