After finding quick success with his USA Network cyber-thriller “Mr. Robot,” writer-director-producer Sam Esmail has been working hard crafting a number of high-profile series for various other networks, most notably being “Homecoming” on Amazon. And it appears he’s not stopping anytime soon, as he’s about to begin carving out viewership on ABC.
According to Variety, Esmail has signed a deal for two new drama series over at ABC. The first is written and directed by Esmail and is called “Acts of Crime.” That series has already been picked up for production and is said to be a “unique spin on the crime procedural.” Whatever that means. Obviously, this is something that will likely interest those people who are a bit sick of the medical procedurals and soaps that dominate the network’s primetime lineup. The second series is untitled, with very little info to share. However, that series is said to already have a script and put pilot commitment, with the extent of Esmail’s involvement still unknown.
As mentioned, Esmail has been releasing new series pretty regularly since he started “Mr. Robot” several years ago. Over that time, he’s released the acclaimed “Homecoming,” which this year released its second season. There’s also “Briarpatch,” which was just canceled but aired a full season starring Rosario Dawson. He’s also behind two shows that are said to be coming to Peacock, including “Angelyne” and the highly-anticipated “Battlestar Galactica” reboot.
In addition, Esmail also has two recently-announced projects reuniting him with Julia Roberts. The first is an Amazon drama series titled “Gaslit,” which also stars Joel Edgerton, Sean Penn, and Armie Hammer. The second is a Netflix thriller project starring Roberts alongside Denzel Washington.
It’s unclear when we might see these ABC projects hit TV screens, but with Esmail’s involvement and the speed of network TV, we could be seeing them fairly soon.