Amazon commissions first drama pilots

Amazon Studios has greenlit its first two hour-long drama pilots, which will launch on Prime Instant Video in the US and Lovefilm in the UK next year.

The shows are Bosch, which is based on Michael Connolly’s book series about a relentless LAPD cop, and The After, a sci-fi project from The X-Files’ Chris Carter.

Red Arrow Entertainment-owned US producer Fabrik Entertainment (fka Fuse, The Killing) will produce Bosch, which Eric Overmeyer (The Wire) and novelist Connolly are writing. The series has been in works at Fabrik since at least July last year.

The After follows eight strangers thrown together who must work together to survive in a violent and unexplainable world. Georgetown Television (Crossbones, Harry Potter) is attached, having first touted the show last year, and Sharon Lawrence, Jamie Kennedy and Aldis Hodge are among the stars.

The pair represents Amazon’s first move into original drama programming, and follow the full season commissions of comedies Alpha House and Betas.

Amazon’s piloting process works by launching a batch of shows online simultaneously and gathering audience feedback before deciding which ones to take to series. It currently has a number of comedy and kids pilots in the works.

“We are very excited to be working with creators like Michael Connelly and Chris Carter, both epic storytellers in their own right,” said Roy Price, director of Amazon Studios. “For the first time we are bringing Amazon customers hour-long programming and we can’t wait to hear what they think of these new stories.”