Amazon Enters the Young Adult Genre With 3 Pilot Orders
When you look at shows like 13 Reasons Why and Riverdale, it’s easy to see just how lucrative a young adult drama can be. The fanbase is passionate and despite being geared towards a younger audience, the storylines and characters are relatable to audiences of all ages. Amazon clearly sees this and is planning on cashing in as the streaming giant has just ordered 3 YA pilots – College, Panic, and The Wilds, and they all sound really interesting!
[row]“We see YA programming as a big opportunity to expand our entertainment offerings for Prime Video and we are actively pursuing projects that spark conversation and co-viewing,” said Albert Cheng, co-head of television, Amazon Studios.[/row]
College
Created By: Marja-Lewis Ryan
Synopsis: The series steps beyond the headlines and follows six college roommates as they hook up, mess up and grow up on their own terms.
Creative Team: Channing Tatum, Jill Soloway (Transparent)
Panic
Created By: Lauren Oliver, who wrote the novel of the same name. She will also write for the series.
Synopsis: Follows a “forgotten rural town where every year the graduating seniors risk their lives in an illegal, high-stakes game to win life-changing money — and a chance to escape. Anonymous judges force the players through a series of challenges that will compel them to confront their deepest fears and upend their ideas of who they are, who to trust and who they might become. This year, 47 players will compete for the biggest pot ever. All of them will be changed. Only one will win.”
Creative Team: Lauren Oliver, Joe Roth and Jeff Kirschenbaum (Maleficent).
The Wilds
Created By:
Synopsis: Follows a group of teenage girls from radically different backgrounds who find themselves stranded on a remote island, unaware that they have just become the subjects of an elaborate social experiment. Part survival drama, part dystopic slumber party, The Wilds explores the past and present struggles of these young women, offering a vivid portrayal of what it means to grow up female in our time — whether you are lost in the wilderness or not.
Creative Team: ABC Signature. The series will be written and executive produced by Sarah Streicher.
While they may have flown under the radar for a bit when it came to original programming, Amazon studios has really stepped up their game with Award-winning series like Transparent, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and Bosch on their roster. In the pipeline, they’ve got John Krasinski’s Jack Ryan and Nick Offerman’s Good Omens, so it seems like the perfect time for them to start creating content geared towards a younger audience!
What do you think of the new shows? Based on their loglines which one would you pick to be turned into a series at first glance? Let us know!
Having studied Media & Writing at James Madison University, I always knew that I wanted to do some type of creative writing, but being able to write about zombies, Starks, and superheroes on a daily basis for Fan Fest is my actual dream. While I probably shouldn’t be as proud as I am to be so similar to Nick Miller, I do hope to one day write my own “Pepperwood Chronicles’.