The most-watched pilot season ever for Amazon Studios has resulted in the greenlighting of three series:The TickstarringPeter SerafinowiczandGriffin Newman,Jean-Claude Van Johnsonstarring the one and onlyJean-Claude Van Damme, andI Love DickstarringKevin BaconandKathryn Hahn. All three new original series will premiere in 2017 for Amazon Prime members across available territories. You can stillcatch up with the pilot episodes hereif you haven’t seen them yet, then be sure to readAllison Keene’sreviews here.
Personally, I don’t know if I’m more excited to seeThe Tickget another shot on the small screen or to see Van Damme struggle to do the splits in self-deprecating fashion. Sure, the pilots definitely had some rough spots–The Tick’s costume certainly needs some work even if Arthur’s was fantastic–but a series order and a bigger budget will go a long way towards smoothing things out.
Here’s whatJoe Lewis, Amazon’s Head of Half-Hour Series, had to say about the new shows:
“These pilots were vast in scope, disruptive in tone, challenging in story and sometimes even funny. It’s rewarding to see customers embrace them in such a huge way. We can’t wait to premiere these series next year on Prime Video.”
Take a look at the series' synopses below:
I Love Dick
Adapted from the cult classic,I Love Dick—referred to as“the most important book about men and women written in the last century" (Emily Gould,The Guardian)—is set in a colorful intellectual community in Marfa, Texas. Chris (Kathryn Hahn,Transparent) and Sylvere (Griffin Dunne,Dallas Buyers Club) arrive in Marfa when Sylvere is offered a fellowship to finish a book he’s been writing on the Holocaust. When they meet Dick (Kevin Bacon,The Following), he taunts their imaginations and upends their preconceptions about love and monogamy. An exploration of the female gaze and how we tell stories about love and desire,I Love Dickcharts the evolution of a marriage, the awakening of an artist and the deification of a writer named Dick.I Love Dickis executive produced by Jill Soloway (Transparent), Andrea Sperling (Transparent), and Sarah Gubbins (Ten Aker Wood). The pilot was directed by Soloway and written by Gubbins.
Jean-Claude Van Johnson
If you need to eliminatea political rival, debilitate a multinational corporation, or overthrow an entire government—and you need it done with the utmost secrecy—there’s only one person to turn to: one of the most internationally recognizable movie stars in the history of film.Jean-Claude Van JohnsonstarsJean-Claude Van Damme (JCVD) playing “Jean-Claude Van Johnson,” a global martial arts and film sensation…and, operating under the simple alias of “Johnson,” the most dangerous undercover private contractor in the world. Lucky for the world’s bad guys, he’s been retired for years…unlucky for them, a chance encounter with a lost love is about to bring him back to the game…and this time, he’ll be deadlier than ever. Probably.
The pilot forJean-Claude Van Johnsonstarred Van Damme along with Kat Foster (Your Family or Mine), Moises Arias (The Middle), and Phylicia Rashad(Creed). The show is executive produced by Peter Atencio (Key and Peele), Ridley Scott (The Good Wife), David W. Zucker (The Man in the High Castle) andVan Damme. From Scott Free Productions, the pilot was directed by Atencio, and written and created by Dave Callaham (Mortal Kombat).
In a world where superheroes have been real for decades, an underdog accountant with zero powers comes to realize his city is owned by a global super villain long-thought dead. As he struggles to uncover this conspiracy, he falls in league with a strange blue superhero. The pilot forThe Tickstarred Peter Serafinowicz (Guardians of the Galaxy), Griffin Newman (Vinyl), Jackie Earle Haley (Watchmen), Valorie Curry (House of Lies), Yara Martinez (Jane the Virgin) and Brendan Hines (Scorpion).The Tickis executive produced by Ben Edlund (Supernatural), Barry Josephson (Bones) and Barry Sonnenfeld (A Series of Unfortunate Events), directed by Wally Pfister (The Dark Knight), and written by Edlund.The Tickis a co-production with Sony Pictures Television.
