A&E Orders New Original Drama Series

NEW YORK: Breakout Kings, from Fox21 and Chernin Entertainment, is a new original drama series for A&E Network that is slated for a 2011 premiere.

Production on 13 one-hour episodes will begin this fall in Toronto. The show comes from the creators of Prison Break, Matt Olmstead and Nick Santora. The drama follows the unconventional partnership between the U.S. Marshals’ office and a group of convicts as they work to catch fugitives on the run. 

"We are thrilled to collaborate with accomplished talents such as Matt and Nick, as well as Peter Chernin and Katherine Pope; with phenomenal track records of success," said Bob DeBitetto, the president and general manager of A&E and BIO. "As soon as we screened the Breakout Kings pilot, it struck us as the perfect fit for A&E as the network of ‘Real Life. Drama.’"

"Breakout Kings is a labor of love for everyone at the studio, and Bob and his team immediately recognized its enormous potential," commented Twentieth Century Fox Television’s chairmen Gary Newman and Dana Walden, who also oversee Fox21. "We’ve been in business with Matt and Nick since their incredible work on Prison Break and we are certain this show will thrive on A&E, which is known for quality, groundbreaking programming."

A&E Network is one of the 100 channels profiled in World Screen’s new U.S. Cable & Satellite Channels guide.