Upfronts: TNT / TBS

Picked out the choice bits. You can read the whole release over at [AICN] where I jacked it from.

I've been keeping an eye on LEVERAGE because of John Rogers, who you can read about over at his blog Kung Fu Monkey. He was one of the valiant agents that threw himself onto Global Frequency.

TNT unveiled development plans for several new, scripted dramas:

DELTA BLUES (working title) tells the tale of an outstanding but unusual Memphis cop: an Elvis impersonator who lives at home with his mother. DELTA BLUES comes to TNT from Warner Horizon Television and SmokeHouse and is executive-produced by George Clooney (Michael Clayton), Grant Heslov (Good Night, and Good Luck), Abby Wolf-Weiss, Liz Garcia and Josh Horto. The series is written by Garcia and Horto.

MORSE CODE (working title) is a crime drama about a young war hero/Drug Enforcement Administration officer who works in his hometown of Boston. The pilot is from Warner Horizon Television and is expected to star Donnie Wahlberg (Boomtown). It will be produced by Wahlberg, Jon Avnet (Boomtown, The Starter Wife) and Walon Green (Law & Order, ER), with Green writing and Avnet anticipated to direct.

UNTITLED JOEL SURNOW PROJECT is a fast-paced, gritty drama about the life of an agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. The pilot is being executive-produced and written by Joel Surnow (co-creator of 24) and Todd Robinson.

ANGEL CITY (working title) features six cops in three cars during one shift, in the spirit of such classic dramas as Adam-12 and Hill Street Blues. The show, conceived by Los Angeles police officer Will Beall, will be written by Beall and Barry Schindel (Law & Order) and directed by Steve Schill (Dexter). ANGEL CITY comes to TNT from Mandalay Television.

TOUGH TRADE is a dramatic but humorous look at the Nashville music scene. The show, which focuses on a family of country stars who live like the lyrics to a country song, comes to TNT from Lionsgate Television. It is written by novelist Chris Offutt and executive-produced by Offutt, Sean Furst and Bryan Furst.

UNTITLED ROB ULIN PROJECT is a quirky yet authentic family drama in the mold of Little Miss Sunshine. It is executive-produced by Rob Ulin (Roseanne, Malcolm in the Middle).
As previously announced, TNT has greenlit three new series that will debut later this year or in early 2009:

RAISING THE BAR is a new legal drama series from Steven Bochco (Hill Street Blues, L.A. Law, NYPD Blue). The series comes to TNT from ABC Studios and stars Mark-Paul Gosselaar (NYPD Blue), Gloria Reuben (ER) and Jane Kaczmarek (Malcolm in the Middle).

LEVERAGE is an action-packed drama series starring Oscar winner Timothy Hutton (Ordinary People, Nero Wolfe) and executive-produced by Dean Devlin (Independence Day, TNT's The Librarian movie franchise) and John Rogers (Transformers). The series comes to TNT from Electric Entertainment.

TRUTH IN ADVERTISING stars Eric McCormack (Will & Grace) and Tom Cavanagh (Ed). The series comes to TNT from Warner Horizon Television. It is executive-produced by Greer Shephard, Michael M. Robin, Hunt Baldwin and John Coveny (all of TNT's The Closer) and written by Baldwin and Coveny.

TBS announced development plans for three new, scripted comedy series:

UNTITLED WILLIAM H. MACY/STEVEN SCHACHTER PROJECT is a single-camera, half-hour comedy series that comes to TBS from Sony Pictures Television. It is written and executive-produced by William H. Macy (Fargo, TNT's Door to Door) and Steven Schachter (Door to Door). Schachter will direct the pilot, while Macy will star.

UNTITLED HERVEY/SIMMONS PROJECT is a primetime, scripted comedy pilot, executive-produced by Russell Simmons (co-founder of Def Jam Recordings), Stan Lathan (The Steve Harvey Show) and Winifred Hervey (The Steve Harvey Show). The series stars Joey "Run" Simmons (of Run-DMC), who also serves as a producer, and is written by Hervey.

NATIONAL BANANA ALREADY IN PROGRESS (working title) is a late-night comedy sketch show being executive-produced by Jerry Zucker (Airplane!, My Best Friend's Wedding).