Fox Gives Put Pilot Order to Adoption Drama From ‘Life Sentence’ Creators

By Joe Otterson

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Fox has given a put pilot order to a new drama that hails from Erin Cardillo and Richard Keith, Variety has learned.

The hour-long project is currently titled “The Family Practice.”  It is described as an emotional procedural set in the world of adoption, from the point of view of an eclectic group of attorneys and social workers who grapple with their own familial dysfunction, while striving to create perfect families for their clients.

Cardillo and Keith serve as writers and executive producers. The duo most recently created the CW series “Life Sentence” starring Lucy Hale and had previously developed multiple projects for that network. Both are repped by UTA. Cardillo is also repped by Bloom Hergott, while Keith is also repped by Lichter Grossman.

In addition to Cardillo and Keith, “Modern Family” director and “Life in Pieces” director and executive producer Jason Winer will also executive produce “The Family Practice” via his Small Dog Picture Company banner, with Small Dog’s Jon Radler also executive producing. Winer is repped by ICM.

20th Century Television, where Winer is under an overall deal, will produce along with Small Dog and In Good Company.

The order comes as Fox has been gearing up its alternative programming slate and ordering less scripted fare. The broadcaster ordered just five shows for the 2018-2019 season thus far (three comedies, two dramas), though they do have multiple shows in contention for midseason pick ups. Fox also recently ordered multiple unscripted shows like “The Masked Singer,” based on the Korean format, and “Mental Samurai,” hosted by Rob Lowe.