Amazon Studios Sets New Pilot Season

Amazon will offer its Amazon Instant Prime subscribers five new series pilots as part of its third "pilot season," beginning Aug. 28, said network officials.

The prospective new Amazon pilots include The Cosmopolitans, written, directed and produced by Whit Stillman (Metropolitan, Barcelona, The Last Days of Disco), about a group of young Americans in Paris searching for love and friendship in a foreign city; Hand Of God, which stars Ron Pearlman as Judge Harris, a man who receives “visions” and “messages” he believes are being sent by God via his ventilator-bound son to find the rapist who tore his family apart; Hysteria, about a psycho-physiological illness spread through technology engulfing a Texas community; Really, which looks at the complexities of marriage and how it changes the dynamics of a tight-knit group of friends; and Red Oaks, which follows antics at a New Jersey country club during the 1980s.

Amazon will choose which pilots will be greenlit for full seasons based on viewer input. During the last pilot preview session, this past March, Amazon greenlit four scripted series and two children's shows. In December 2012, the online provider ordered six comedy series pilots after giving subscribers a chance to view shows and offer their opinion.

“We are delighted to be able to bring Amazon customers new shows from some of Hollywood’s most talented actors and creators,” said Roy Price, Director of Amazon Studios in a statement. “There is something for everyone in this season and I can’t wait to hear our customers’ feedback when they premiere later this month.”

R. Thomas Umstead

R. Thomas Umstead serves as senior content producer, programming for Multichannel News, Broadcasting + Cable and Next TV. During his more than 30-year career as a print and online journalist, Umstead has written articles on a variety of subjects ranging from TV technology, marketing and sports production to content distribution and development. He has provided expert commentary on television issues and trends for such TV, print, radio and streaming outlets as Fox News, CNBC, the Today show, USA Today, The New York Times and National Public Radio. Umstead has also filmed, produced and edited more than 100 original video interviews, profiles and news reports featuring key cable television executives as well as entertainers and celebrity personalities.