ABC has officially ordered “Mr. Robot” creator and “Homecoming” director Sam Esmail’s pilot for the new drama “Acts of Crime.”
The show has been in development at the Walt Disney Television flagship since last September, as well as another series known only as the “Untitled CDC Project,” which landed a pilot commitment. Universal Content Productions (UCP), a division of Universal Studio Group and ABC Signature, is the studio behind both “Acts of Crime” and the untitled CDC-focused series.
Details on what the crime procedural will be about are under wraps, though ABC’s statement mentioned that “Acts of Crime” will be a “unique spin” on the genre. Esmail Corp.’s Chad Hamilton will executive produce the show alongside Esmail, who is also billed as the show’s writer and director.
Esmail has collaborated with UCP since he first inked a deal with the television production company in 2015 following the debut of critically-acclaimed thriller Mr. Robot on USA Network. In Feb. 2019, Esmail renewed the overall deal, agreeing to a multi-year commitment that would enable him to produce content for linear and streaming platforms, including NBCUniversal’s Peacock. Most recently, Esmail produced the USA Network anthology “Briarpatch,” starring Rosario Dawson, for UCP. Also in development with UCP from Esmail (and Andy Siara, best known for writing the film “Palm Springs”) is a dark comedy called “The Resort,” which is set to take place at a resort teeming with mystery along the Mayan Rivera.