CBS has set its next straight-to-series summer drama, giving a 13-episode order to suspense thriller Salvation, from Alex Kurtzman’s Secret Hideout and CBS Television Studios. The series will premiere in summer 2017, joining returning Zoo. CBS earlier this week opted not to renew the two new dramas it introduced this past summer, BrainDead and American Gothic.
Like the other summer dramas under CBS/CBS TV Studios’ model for lower license fees offset by international sales and short-window streaming deals, Salvation is a serialized series with thriller elements. CBS has a three-year deal with Amazon for one new summer drama each year. I hear Salvation has not been set as the 2017 Amazon entry. There is interest from multiple streaming platforms, and a partner will be announced shortly. So far, all CBS summer series have gone with Amazon with the exception of Zoo, which has a deal with Netflix.
Salvation centers on an MIT grad student and a tech superstar who bring a low-level Pentagon official a staggering discovery – that an asteroid is just six months away from colliding with Earth.
“Salvation is the type of fast-paced, dramatic ride that viewers look for in a summer event series,” said CBS Entertainment president Glenn Geller. “We’re excited to launch another high concept, highly promotable show with great auspices that adds to our roster of year-round, original scripted programming.”
Salvation was written by Necessary Roughness creators/executive producers Liz Kruger and Craig Shapiro based on the story by Matt Wheeler. Kruger and Shapiro have experience with CBS summer dramas, having served as showrunners on the second season of Extant. The duo, who is under an overall deal at CBS Studios, will also be showrunners on Salavation.
Salvation was originally developed at CBS during the 2013-14 development season, with Wheeler as writer and Alex Kurtzman, Bob Orci, Peter Lenkov and Heather Kadin executive producing. It was the first sale for Kurtzman and Orci’s K/O Paper Products after the company moved to CBS TV Studios.
The newly picked up version of Salvation hails from K/O successor, Kurtzman’s CBS TV Studios-based Secret Hideout. The company’s Kurtzman and Hadin executive produce with Hawaii Five-0 and MacGyver showrunner Lenkov as well as Kruger and Shapiro.
The series will be distributed domestically by CBS Television Distribution and worldwide by CBS Studios International.
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