On the last day of the biannual TV Critics Association Press Tour in Beverly Hills,, I got a chance to ask NBC Entertainment Chairman Robert Greenblatt and President Jennifer Salke about the outlook for faith-based programming at NBC in the wake of its cancellation of “A.D.: The Bible Continues.”
Said Salke:
Yes. Well, we have scripted shows definitely. And [A.D.’ producers] Mark [Burnett] and Roma [Downey] developed a pilot for us last year that dealt with faith and angels, and the pilot didn’t quite come together for us. But we’re back at it with them with a new writer who’s in a deal at Universal, John Glenn, and they’re coming in to pitch a really exciting take on something very spiritual and right in that wheelhouse.
And we really believe despite “A.D.” maybe not delivering the numbers that we hoped it would, Roma and Mark have a unparalleled connection to that community across the world, really, and we look forward to just collaborating more with them. But in addition to that, we always are developing other high‑profile projects that are in the world of spirituality and finding something soulful. And there are several pieces in development in that area in scripted. And as far as reality, I’m not really sure.
The project Salke is referring to is “Unveiled,” a supernatural drama about flawed guardian angels that intervene in people’s lives. Glenn doesn’t appear to have any credits with spiritual themes, and has mostly worked on crime and espionage dramas. So, other than being under contract at NBC’s sister studio, it’s not immediately clear why he’d be the man for the job. But, we’ll see.
Also, CBS has a guardian-angel project on tap for fall, called “Angel From Hell,” starring Jane Lynch of “Glee.” But it’s a comedy-drama — and the exact nature of the “angel” is ambiguous (more on this closer to premiere), so there may be room for one more.
In addition, NBC locked down the contacts of three actors from the original “Unveiled” pilot — Will Kemp, Stephen James and Mouzam Makkar, so odds look good that the Peacock will at least try giving it another go.
Then, Greenblatt mentioned another NBC project, a TV movie called “Dolly Parton’s Coat of Many Colors,” based on the country singer’s famous tune of the same name, itself based on an incident from Parton’s childhood in Tennessee’s Smoky Mountains in 1955. Currently in production in Atlanta, Georgia, it’s set to air Dec. 10. Alyvia Lind plays Parton as a child; also starring are Jennifer Nettles Gerald McRaney and Ricky Schroder.
Said Greenblatt:
It’s very faith‑based. And Dolly’s real‑life father was a preacher. Her grandfather was a preacher — not her father, her grandfather. That’s the role played by Gerald McRaney in the movie. There’s a lot of faith and spirituality in that movie. And our attention is on that. And I think we felt that after “The Bible” and then the next chapter of “A.D.” that we’d sort of played that specific angle out. But there’s all kinds of things that we’re developing, and I think the audience is starved for it.
Meanwhile, Burnett and Downey are developing a streaming service of their own, and are planning to use a new season of “A.D.” (scripts for which were already underway at the time of cancellation) as its centerpiece. But don’t expect to see anything until late 2016 or early 2017.
Image: Courtesy NBC
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