Lifetime Picks Up Marc Cherry’s ‘Devious Maids’ To Series For 2013 Launch
Marc Cherry‘s pilot Devious Maids is going to series at Lifetime. The cable network has handed a 13-episode order to the ABC Studios-produced project, originally developed for ABC where it received a pilot order this past season but missed the cut to series. Devious Maids is slated to launch on Lifetime in 2013. “This show and Marc Cherry’s unique story telling voice perfectly articulate Lifetime’s strategy of attracting top-tier creatives with their most original and exciting projects,” Lifetime’s president Nancy Dubuc and EVP Rob Sharenow said in a joint statement.
Based on the hit Mexican telenovela Ellas son la Alegría del Hogar, Devious Maids follows the lives of five maids with ambition and dreams of their own while they work for the rich and famous in Beverly Hills. It stars Ana Ortiz, Judy Reyes, Dania Ramirez, Roselyn Sanchez as well as Susan Lucci, Edy Ganem, Grant Show, Brianna Brown, Rebecca Wisocky, Tom Irwin, Mariana Klaveno, Brett Cullen and Drew Van Acker. I hear the pilot will undergo some tweaking and reshoots in its move to Lifetime. One of the regular roles, played in the pilot by Angelique Cabral, will likely be eliminated. Production on the series will be based in Atlanta, which provides tax intensives vs. Los Angeles where the pilot was shot.
Related: Lifetime Eyes Marc Cherry’s ABC Dramedy Pilot ‘Devious Maids’
Lifetime began exploring the possibility of a Devious Maids pickup right after ABC passed on the pilot in May. The cable network and producer ABC Studios, which have a longstanding relationship via Lifetime’s flagship drama Army Wives, which is produced by ABC Studios, spent the last month trying to make the series, developed and budgeted for broadcast, viable economically on cable. I hear that included asking some actors to take pay cuts and reworking their deals to cable residuals terms and moving production to Georgia, among other things. “Devious Maids is a perfect series for ABC Studios to continue its successful collaboration with the incredibly talented team at Lifetime,” said Barry Jossen, ABC Studios’ EVP of Creative and Production.
Devious Maids will be executive produced by Cherry, who wrote the adaptation, his producing partner Sabrina Wind, Desperate Housewives star Eva Longoria, Paul McGuigan (Scandal), Larry Shuman (Kissing Miranda), David Lonner, John Mass, Paul Presburger and Michael Garcia. At Lifetime, Devious Maids will join Army Wives and fellow scripted series The Client List and Drop Dead Diva. The pickup restores Cherry’s presence on Lifetime, which was the off-network home of his recently departed Desperate Housewives. It also provides a happy-ish ending for actress Mariana Klaveno who was recently cast as Lily Munster in the NBC pilot Mockingbird Lane but couldn’t do it because Devious Maids, where she plays a supporting role, wouldn’t release her.
It has been an active broadcast-cable transfer season. In addition to Devious Maids, ABC Studios also found a new home for its ABC comedy series Cougar Town at TBS. And USA Network is exploring picking up Fox’s comedy pilot Rebounding.
Heard Rebounding is dead at USA.
Have heard the same
I’m hearing Rebounding is “Super Picked Up”, a more extreme form of a pickup that involves a full season order and bicycles for all involved.
Nothing like pickings off the ABC scrap heap.
I refused to watch anything on the women’s victim channel, but I might give this show a shot.
Then you missed out on the Client List, which showed woman as anything but a victim…
I haven’t watched Client List but isn’t using women as prostitutes at least a little victimizing?
I could watch the Betty Broderick story another hundred times. That movie scared the hell out of me when I was a young child and watched it. I think it got me into the mindset at a very young age that you better be good to your wife.
Great news. So happy for the incredibly talented and amazing Brianna Brown. You deserve this!
Hell Yeah! I’ve know Brianna for over a Decade and am so glad to see this come together for her!
VERY happy to hear MAIDS is getting the greenlight. I still wish it was going to be at ABC with the bigger budge, though.
I’m hoping THE SELECTION gets a go at CW after it gets retooled, and that SUPER FUN NIGHT gets picked up by ABC.
When do we find out if MOCKINGBIRD LANE gets a greenlight or not?
Wish they would have picked up GCB but the costs may have been prohibitive
ah yes, don’t forget the bright wardrobe.
pick up GCB pleaseeeee!
What a fantastic news! I think Lifetime is a perfect place for this show. Cannot wait to see it when it starts airing.
Good move Lifetime, bad title Mr. Cherry.
How does “ambition and dreams of their own” = ‘Devious’?
It feels rather…pardon the pun…”desperate” to title the show as such but I think the cast will rise above and make for an entertaining show. I’ll be tuning in.