TV Briefly

Published: Friday, January 05, 2007

'Battlestar' writer Eick rebuilds 1970s show 'Bionic Woman'

NBC is bringing "The Bionic Woman" back to life, courtesy of "Battlestar Galactica" writer-producer David Eick.

The network has given a cast-contingent pilot order to the remake of the 1970s show and also greenlit two other pilots: the cop drama "Fort Pit," from the producers of "Rescue Me," and a spy series called "Chuck" co-written by "O.C." creator Josh Schwartz.

Eick and Laeta Kalogridis ("Alexander," "Birds of Prey") are co-writing and executive producing the "Bionic Woman" update, the showbiz trade papers report. The show is based on the 1970s series, a spinoff of "The Six Million Dollar Man," about a woman (Lindsay Wagner) who suffers a traumatic accident and has her body rebuilt with artificial parts that give her extraordinary strength and speed.

NBC's sister studio, NBC Universal TV, is producing the pilot.

"Chuck," meanwhile, comes from Warner Bros. TV. Schwartz and Chris Fedak are writing the script, a drama about twentysomething spies that's infused with dark humor, a la "Grosse Pointe Blank."

USA network lets the 'Sunshine' in

Who says you can't have sunshine when you want it?

USA has picked up the pilot and 11 additional episodes of the drama "Mary Sunshine," according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The project, originally known as "In Plain Sight," centers on a U.S. Marshal (Mary McCormack) who is juggling the demands of her job at the witness-protection program and her dysfunctional personal life.

"We liked that (Mary's) a woman in a high-risk job, which brings a real action component to it," says Jeff Wachtel, USA executive VP.