Starz is developing P-Town, a drama series with a lesbian lead that touches on the current opioid epidemic. The project hails from former Gotham writer-producer Rebecca Cutter, Power executive producer Gary Lennon and Jerry Bruckheimer TV.
Written and executive produced by Cambridge, MA-born Cutter, with Lennon on board as showrunner, P-Town centers on Jackie Quinones, a hard-partying lesbian in Provincetown, MA, aka P-Town; a federal Fishery Service Agent who uses her gun and badge to seduce tourist chicks. She’s none-too-enthusiastically putting in her time until she can draw a federal pension – but everything changes when she discovers a body in Cape Cod Bay, and finds herself at the center of the Cape’s gruesome heroin epidemic.
As opiate-related overdose deaths have skyrocketed in the U.S. since 2001, Massachusetts’ has been hit hard, with more than 1,250 deaths from heroin overdose in 2014. The 2015 HBO documentary Heroin: Cape Cod, USA, depicted the dire situation in Cape Cod where 85 percent of the crimes are opiate-related.
Lennon executive produces via his overall deal at Starz, stemming from his EP duties on the network’s hit drama series Power. Executive producing for JBTV are Bruckheimer, Jonathan Littman and Kristie Anne Reed.
This is Jerry Bruckheimer TV’s third project at Starz. In a very competitive situation, the Lionsgate-owned premium cable network recently landed JBTV’s hot drama spec script Family Crimes by Suicide Squad writer-director David Ayer with a production commitment.
At Starz, Bruckheimer TV also has action-drama series Black Samurai (working title) in development, with Common set to star and executive produce.
Under Jerry Bruckheimer TV’s overall deal with CBS TV Studios, the company has sold several dramas to CBS: Whistleblower from Chris Silber; Main Justice, a legal drama inspired by former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder; Unthinkable, an FBI crime drama penned by MacGyver executive producer David Slack; and Chasers, from Shane Brennan.
Outside of the CBS Studios deal, JBT is producing a Bad Boys spinoff series project starring Gabrielle Union, which landed at NBC with pilot production commitment.
Cutter wrote and directed the 2012 indie Besties and also has worked on CBS’ The Mentalist.
Lennon is repped by CAA and attorney Craig Emanuel. Cutter is repped by CAA, Rain Management, and attorney Jamie Mandelbaum. Jerry Bruckheimer TV is repped by CAA.
