New YA Drama from "John Proctor Is The Villain" Playwright Kimberly Belflower Lands at 20th Television
20th Television has announced the exciting development of an untitled new young adult series to enhance its roster.
According to Deadline, 20th Television is developing an untitled new young adult series coming from the acclaimed mind of playwright Kimberly Belflower.
What’s Happening:
- 20th Television has picked up an untitled YA drama series written by Kimberly Belflower (John Proctor Is The Villain).
- The series follows a sheltered teenage girl in the rural South who experiences a major summer awakening when she turns 16.
- As she navigates a brewing scandal at her local church, she begins her first job at a waterpark, finding a completely new group of friends.
- At the waterpark, she finds herself torn between her feelings for a troubled hometown boy and a new kid from the city who represents the promise of a bigger future.
- Kim Rosenstock (Dying for Sex, New Girl, Only Murders in the Building) is set to serve as showrunner and executive producer. Thomas Kail and Jennifer Todd will also executive produce via Old 320 Sycamore, with Chloe Hales and Mia Del Duca overseeing the project for the banner.
Going Beyond: The Playwright-to-Screen Pipeline
- This project highlights an ongoing trend in television to tap into the rich character-driven storytelling of modern playwrights to helm a series.
- Kimberly Belflower brings a distinct theatrical pedigree to television.
- Her highly acclaimed play John Proctor is the Villain (which is simultaneously being adapted into a feature film at Universal Pictures by Tina Fey and Marc Platt) was celebrated for its razor-sharp, modern deconstruction of teenage girlhood.
- Showrunner Kim Rosenstock also shares a theatrical background, having penned the play Tigers Be Still before pivoting to highly successful television rooms like Glow and Only Murders in the Building.
- By bringing in theatrical veterans, this project should hopefully become a YA drama with grounded, emotionally resonant characters instead of standard teen-soap caricatures.
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