Two Dramas, Six Kids’ Projects for Amazon’s New Pilot Season

SEATTLE: Among the lineup for Amazon’s next pilot season are The Interestings, adapted from Meg Wolitzer’s New York Times best seller, and Sigmund and the Sea Monsters, a live-action show for kids based on Sid and Marty Krofft’s classic 1970s Saturday morning series.

A co-production with TriStar Television, The Interestings follows a group of artistic teenagers, who meet at summer camp in 1974, as they transition into adulthood over the course of the next few decades. It stars Lauren Ambrose (Six Feet Under). Mike Newell (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Four Weddings and a Funeral) directed the pilot, which was written by Lyn Greene and Richard Levine (Masters of Sex, Boss, Nip/Tuck).

The other one-hour pilot on the slate is The Last Tycoon, also a co-production with TriStar Television. An adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s last work, the project is written and directed by Billy Ray (Captain Phillips, The Hunger Games) and executive produced by Ray and Christopher Keyser (Tyrant, Party of Five), who serve as showrunners, The story follows 1930s Hollywood Golden Boy Monroe Stahr (Matt Bomer, White Collar) as he battles father figure and boss Pat Brady (Kelsey Grammer, Frasier) for the soul of their studio.

There are six kids’ pilots on the roster, including Sigmund and the Sea Monsters, targeted to kids 6 to 11. The show is centered on two brothers, Johnny and Scotty, who discover and befriend Sigmund, a friendly young sea-monster who escapes from his old life and his comically dysfunctional brothers Slurp and Blurp. The project is executive produced by Sid and Marty Krofft (H.R. Pufnstuf, Land of the Lost), with the pilot being directed by Jonathan Judge (The Thundermans, School of Rock) and starring David Arquette (Scream, Jake and the Neverland Pirates) as Captain Barnabas.

Little Big Awesome is a comedy for kids ages 6 to 11 that combines 2D animation, puppetry and live-action footage, set in the whimsically weird world of Ballopolis. Morris and the Cow, an animated comedy for 6- to 11-year-olds, follows Morris, a 10-year-old determined to follow his passion and become a cowboy. Toasty Tales is an animated comedy, also for kids 6 to 11, featuring Waffle, Burger and Pants, three best friends who happen to be Marshmallows living in the long forgotten Move-Along National Park. The Curious Kitty and Friends is a preschool stop-motion animated show, following the adventures of kitty cat Komaneko as she explores the world with her friends Mimmi Bear, Radibo and Yeti. For preschooolers, Jazz Duck is an animated series that encourages viewers to listen and express themselves as they explore the sounds and musical potential of their world.

These new pilots are scheduled to debut on June 17 exclusively on Amazon Video in the U.S., U.K., Germany, Austria and Japan. The development process gives all customers an opportunity to stream and review pilots in order to help choose the next Amazon original series that are then available to Prime Members.

“We’re focused on bringing customers compelling, must-see TV and we accomplish this by going directly to them for input,” said Roy Price, the VP of digital video and Amazon Studios. “Our process has proven to work time and time again. Their feedback has helped create series that have become fan favorites among critics and customers.”