‘The Undoing’ creator lured back to network TV for ‘Big Sky’
LOS ANGELES — Writerproducer David E. Kelley gifted network TV with three decades of hits, including “Ally McBeal,” “The Practice” and “Boston Legal.” Then he switched to a new canvas, premium cable, to make HBO’s “Big Little Lies” and “The Undoing.”
The advantages the platforms offer — including creative freedom and the appeal that limited series have to in-demand stars — failed to deter ABC executive Karey Burke from trying to woo Kelley back to broadcast on the Disney-owned network.
She succeeded with “Big Sky,” based on a C.J. Box crime novel that caught Kelley’s interest. The series (airing 9 p.m. Tuesdays) stars Katheryn Winnick and Kylie Bunbury as an ex-police officer and private detective in search of sisters missing in Montana.
Despite his respect for Burke, Kelley’s said, his first answer was a polite no.
“‘The content is a little disturbing and and it’s just not broadcast fare,’” he told her. He recounted Burke’s reply: the network wanted to be more “aggressive in our storytelling” to compete with cable and streaming.
ABC reinforced its commitment to the series Monday, ordering six more episodes for a total of 16. The network was able to tout “Big Sky” as among the season’s top-rated shows, albeit in a TV season destabilized by pandemic-forced production delays.
“Big Sky” drew sharp criticism from Native American groups and advocates for overlooking the ongoing crisis of crimes against Indigenous women, including in Montana, which Kelley and the show’s other producers have vowed to address.
Burke remains bullish about network TV as a worthy creative home, arguing that it remains unmatched as “a delivery system,” citing its free, over-the-air reach that combines with on-demand viewing options to reach a wide audience. Sam Esmail, creator of USA Network’s “Mr. Robot” and Amazon’s “Homecoming,” hadn’t worked in network TV but is developing a show for ABC, she said.
ABC’s medical series “Grey’s Anatomy” and “The Good Doctor” were able to pivot quickly to weave “what’s going on in our hospitals and with our health care workers into their story lines,” she said, a reference to COVID-19.