Supernatural showrunner Jeremy Carver’s cop drama American Blue and Greg Berlanti’s family drama How to Survive Without Me have officially received pilot orders from HBO Max. Both shows will be following the same model as Noah Wyle’s The Pitt. Due to the acclaimed medical drama’s success, the streamer is looking to create more shows modeled after The Pitt’s episode count, modest budget, and yearly release strategy.
What do we know about the new HBO Max TV show pilots?
American Blue is written by Carver, who is also serving as an executive producer alongside Brian Udovich. The story follows native son Brian “Milk” Milkovich, who returns to his hometown of Joliet, Illinois, to rescue a beleaguered police force while seeking redemption of his own. According to HBO Max executive Sarah Aubrey, Carver and Udovich talked with local cops in Joliet, Chicago, for a long time. It is expected to be in the same vein as classic police shows like Hill Street Blues and NYPD Blue.
“It’s very much in that vein where you really get to know these police officers and understand that they are members of this community that they’re serving. But also it is very much in the streets, on their feet, doing the job in 2025,” Aubrey said.
She added, “We always love that kind of very specific storytelling. It’s one of the secrets to the success of The Pitt, so it’s exciting to us that Jeremy and Brian have done that deep dive.”
How to Survive Without Me hails from executive producers Berlanti, Bash Doran, and Robbie Rogers, who also co-wrote the screenplay. The pilot will also be executive-produced by Berlanti Productions’ Sarah Schechter and Leigh London Redman. Filming is expected to take place in Los Angeles.
“Greg is a legend in the world of television,” Aubrey continued. “He was eager, and we were eager to go back to his family drama roots, ala Brothers and Sisters. “This show is essentially about a group of adult siblings and their father, about grief and love and their lives in Los Angeles.”
She added, “People would want to live and be a part of this family, and when you have 15 episodes, you can really settle into that. They’re aspirational, they’re inspirational, how they work through their problems together, and I think people are gravitating towards shows with those kinds of themes these days with the tumult of the world.”
(Source: Deadline)
