Though it’s an HBO series, acclaimed medical drama “The Pitt” is the most broadcast network-like of its premium cable shows.
The entire show is essentially shot on a single hospital set on studio soundstages with very limited remote locations. Wardrobe is basic medical gear or civilian clothes, and being a present-day drama set almost entirely indoors means minimal VFX and set/production design requirements.
The result is episodes not only coming in at a rather cheap $4-5 million but also able to be produced fast, meaning HBO is able to churn out 15 episodes of the series annually at a cost-effective $60 million or so for the entire season.
Now, Deadline reports that the cabler is seeking more shows like that with higher episode counts, smaller budgets and yearly releases. Two pilot orders have already been scored.
One is “American Blue,” a new cop drama from former “Supernatural” showrunner Jeremy Carver that aims to be a gritty “NYPD Blue” or “Hill Street Blues”-style series set in Joliet, Illinois where a man named Brian ‘Milk’ Milkovich returns to rescue a beleaguered police force while seeking redemption of his own.
The other is former The CW DC mastermind Greg Berlanti’s new family drama series “How to Survive Without Me”. This show is described as “essentially about a group of adult siblings and their father, about grief and love and their lives in Los Angeles.”
