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[03/23/16 - 06:04 AM]
2016 ABC Program Development Guide - Comedy Series
ABC details its 12 comedy projects under consideration for next season.

[03/04/16 - 11:32 PM]
Development Update: Friday, March 4
Updates include: Adult Swim's "Childrens Hospital" to wrap after seven seasons; ABC Family's "Kevin from Work" misses the cut at Freeform; and Gina Torres to star in ABC's "The Death of Eva Sofia Valdez."

[02/18/16 - 11:29 PM]
Development Update: Thursday, February 18
Updates include: Justin Long to lead ABC's "Dream Team"; Geoff Stults set as "The Kicker" for CBS; and Nick D'Agosto to topline NBC's "The Trail."

[02/10/16 - 11:26 PM]
Development Update: Wednesday, February 10
Updates include: Candice Bergen to lead ABC's "Pearl"; Nasim Pedrad set as "Chad: An American Boy" at FOX; and Hayley Atwell to topline "Conviction" at ABC.

[01/11/16 - 11:27 PM]
Development Update: Monday, January 11
Updates include: ABC greenlights two comedy pilots, confirms "Marvel's Most Wanted"; FOX grants "In Time" a pilot order; Bill Hader to "Barry" for HBO.







PEARL (ABC)
DEVELOPMENT HISTORY:
1/11/16 - 3/23/16
STATUS:
previously in development (2016-2017 season)
DEVELOPMENT STAGE:
ordered to pilot
DESCRIPTION:
(from ABC's press release, March 2016) Pearl Foxton (Candice Bergen) is a self-possessed, opinionated force of nature. Charming and charismatic, she is the most sophisticated woman in her suburban New Jersey town. Widowed in her forties, Pearl is married to her second husband, Len, a kind, enthusiastic, frequently oblivious ? man, whom she grades a B+. Pearl has two grown children from her first marriage; Billy the overachieving "good son," and his older sister Olivia, the rebellious "bad" daughter. She plays obvious favorites with her children as well as her grandchildren. This powerful matriarch has just received grim news: she has cancer, and the doctors tell her she probably has less than a year left. Pearl has always done exactly what she wants to do, and she has nothing left on her bucket list. Her only bit of unfinished business is to sort out her family's lives to her liking... whether they like it or not. She tells Billy that his wife Sara, who wants a trial separation, must be having an affair. He denies it and storms out of their dinner - the first time that this tough literary agent has ever stood up to his mother. But Pearl decides to investigate her theory on her own. Pearl has strong opinions about her daughter's love life, too. Olivia lives with her unassuming fiancé Kurt out in the middle of nowhere on a farm. Her lifestyle rebels against everything Pearl values, and that may be what Olivia likes best about it. Pearl believes that Kurt is the wrong man for her, and wants to get Olivia back with her successful and handsome ex, Travis. She takes it upon herself to find out what his marital status currently is. Len is in such denial he's planning to take Pearl on a trip to the Galapagos in six months. But all Pearl wants to talk to him about is who he should marry after she's gone. She's worried that, left to his own devices, he will marry her arch-enemy Janet Gottshalk, who will redecorate the house in a manner that would be deeply offensive to Pearl. She's picked out a member of her Breast Cancer Survivors' Group who she feels is a more suitable mate for her husband. Pearl has a lot of work to do to get her family in shape with whatever time she has left. After all, she knows what's best for them way better than they know themselves, and good luck convincing her otherwise.
PRINCIPAL CAST INFORMATION:
· Candice Bergen as Pearl Foxton
· Halina James
· Kathleen Rose Perkins as Virginia
· Ren Colley
· Richard Masur as Len
· Zachary Knighton as Billy
CREW INFORMATION:
· Andrew Reich as CRTR/EP
· Jim Field Smith as EP/DIR (Pilot)
GENRE(S):
· comedy (all)
· comedy (single-camera)
STUDIO INFORMATION:
· ABC Studios